Clockwork
by honeysyrup
Summary: One night Naruto, an apprentice clock smith, is visited by a mysterious stranger who leaves him with a bizarre gift. A mechanical doll with strikingly realistic features. sasunaru
1. Twelve O'Clock

**Clockwork.**

By: hachico

**Disclaimer:** "Naruto" and all characters derived from said series are the creation and thereby intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto. No profits are being made from the creation of this work of fan-made fiction.

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**Twelve O' Clock**

Yawning widely, the weary youth set aside his tools on the sawdust covered worktable and narrowed his eyes at his creation. Blinking twice, he slowly examined the clockwork creature with keen, sky blue eyes, checking for any inconsistencies in the shiny, synthetic coat. He ran his fingers over its back and felt the red-gold, lacquered outer shell through its fur, marveling at his own delicately carved handiwork beneath.

If only the cogs and gears within the machine ran together as smoothly as the outer frame did.

With a soft sigh, Naruto confirmed that there were no grievous errors on the outside and sat back on the workbench, mulling over future events. Tomorrow was the day of the 26th Annual Clockwork Mastery Pageant, a contest that determined the best of the best in the local machine-making world. Of course he was bent on winning; he'd been the first to enter this year in fact. The problem was that Naruto's creation was nowhere near completion, though submissions were due tomorrow. What good was being the first one to sign up if he had nothing to present but a beautifully crafted yet pitifully empty shell?

Still, he was quite proud of what he had managed thus far: It was a moderately large replica of the mythological nine-tailed fox of lore, now a tangible mechanical creature...albeit a non-working one. Its molten, gold-red shine looked mostly amber under the small lamp at the table, but in proper lighting it bore an appearance highly suitable to the creature behind the myth.

The fox stood a good two meters tall fully assembled, and was about four and a half meters in length easily, a beautiful imitation of a real, live fox. It was realistic down to the feral gleam in its golden vulpine eyes -- until one came to the multiple tails. Naruto wasn't sure exactly where he had heard the myth of The Nine Tails. Was it from a childhood tale? Some story he had heard late one night in the tavern he frequented? He didn't read many books; unless they were filled with mechanical lore, the young man simply wasn't interested in them. Still, somehow he was almost certain that the idea for his creation stemmed from a story he had read or heard a long time ago.

In any case, it was brilliant. Not only was the design highly original, but it also lent itself easily to construction. The hard part was the gear-work. His plan had been to make a clockwork fox that when wound up would actually prowl around a small radius, waving its tails and baring its fangs fiercely -- a terrifying monster of an animal like the one in the myth. Unfortunately that task had proven itself quite impossible for Naruto thus far, and so there he sat in his master's workshop, long past the store's closing time.

Deciding that there would be little worth in trying to work when he was already so tired, Naruto opted for a break. Pushing back from the desk, he began to loosen the knots of his well-worn, muted green work apron. As the boy slipped off the dusty garment, he removed his protective goggles as well, placing them to the side, and ran work-roughened hands through his dustier, tousled wheat-gold hair.

"_Early tomorrow morning. I'll definitely come back and finish it in time for the submission deadline,"_ he willed himself silently.

And then, stifling a yawn, the boy extinguished the flame of the single lamp that lit his workspace. He didn't bother cleaning the place up, even though it was one of his duties as the clock smith's apprentice. His master would surely grumble and swat him hard for it later, but at present he couldn't care less. All that Naruto could think of right then was getting home to his tiny apartment and into his nice warm bed.

Making his way to the front area he realized that he had forgotten to blow out the lamp in the storefront display earlier. The window was supposed to be darkened during non-business hours to show that the shop was closed, but Naruto doubted that anybody would be coming by at such a late hour in this quiet town anyway. When his eyes finally adjusted enough to the contrast of the light in the display room, Naruto glanced at the large cuckoo clock in the corner. He could just barely discern the time in the dim room.

"_Almost 12 o'clock.! Did I really stay up that late working?_" he mused in mild surprise. This was the latest he'd stayed at such a task in a while. Usually he would close up the shop at around eight o' clock or so in the evening. 'Too bad I didn't get anything done..." he sighed, just a moment before realizing that he was talking to himself. For Naruto this was a sign of fatigue.

Just then the cuckoo clock sounded the hour loudly, causing the boy to practically jump in surprise. Somehow he always managed to forget just how loud that clock's chiming was, and was often caught off guard when it sounded. His tiredness did not aid the situation. Just as the apprentice had regained his composure from that shock there came another-- without warning, there was a knock at the front door.

At first he didn't believe his own ears. Could there really be a visitor at this late hour? But when the door sounded again he knew that it was no late night hallucination. Practically stumbling over his own two feet in his haste, the boy hurried to answer the knock.

"_But who the hell's calling at this hour…a customer? Is it an emergency?"_ Naruto's glance shifted over to the clock once again.

"_12 o'clock exactly._" Just as the cuckoo had heralded.

His heart pounded in his ears as he stood on tiptoes to gaze through the small window near the top of the door. _"Who could it be?"_ Naruto wished he had a cup of something hot to calm his nerves right then. He had been at his work far too late, and now the memories of frightening tales he'd heard at the pub were beginning to fill his head, summoned by his tired mind. What if this was danger knocking at his door?

Glancing through the window revealed nothing but a tall, shadowed form, and a very intimidating one at that. He wanted terribly to ignore the knocking and pretend not to be there, but Naruto was no coward; With a deep breath the youth undid all the locks on the door save the large deadbolt and opened it just slightly so that he could peer out. He trusted that the door to the shop was heavy enough and the single lock strong enough to hold should the visitor try to push it open.

"Hello?" he called, forcing the tremor out of his voice, lest it give away his trepidation," Who is it?"

"A simple traveler,"came the shouted response, hardly audible over the howling wind outside. Naruto hadn't realized just how bad the weather had gotten while he was working. It seemed there was practically a full-blown blizzard going on. Suddenly he felt rather bad for having this person stand outside and talk to him, despite the late hour. After all, wasn't their village known for its hospitality in addition to its unrivaled artisans? He did not doubt the man's words, as he couldn't imagine anyone making their way through such messy weather merely to do him harm.

"Hold on -- I'll undo the lock and let you in."

So saying he shut the door momentarily undid the last large deadbolt, crushing down his reservations to usher in the mysterious visitor. As soon as the door was open fully he was blown back by a heavy wind that carried in plenty of snow and biting cold with it. It also carried in his visitor. The man was somewhat tall, with shaggy silver hair that seemed somehow in place despite the fact that it was clearly wind-battered and moist with snow. The snowflakes that clung to the dampened strands shone here and there like diamonds in the dim light of the shop, and Naruto realized how long the man must have been traveling in such weather. He appeared just a little bedraggled honestly.

Still, the stranger cut an imposing figure in the dim light of the shop's entryway. His face was mostly obscured by the dark muffler and heavy cloak that he wore, and his left eye was covered by a forbidding black eye-patch, giving him a dangerous air.

Naruto unconsciously shrank back a little bit. Maybe it was foolish of him to let a strange man into his master's shop so easily. Still, what was done was done. He resolved to be as welcoming and host-like as he could.

"Let me take your coat!" he offered as soon as the man had entered and closed the door. Noticing that he carried a large package, as well, the blonde tried to take it from him, but the stranger held fast to it. The manner in which it was slung across his shoulders implied that it was quite a burden, but the stranger handled it as delicately and easily as a bouquet of roses as he shifted the huge parcel into his arms and settled it in the corner nearest the door.

"That's not necessary." he assured Naruto, though it sounded more like a warning. He wouldn't let the boy take his coat either, which left Naruto feeling rather awkward and unsure of what to do or say next.

"It's so cold to be out this late at night, Mister…."he trailed off when he realized he didn't yet know the man's name.

"Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi is my name," the man supplied, in the wake of Naruto's awkward pause.

"Welcome to Konoha, Mr. Hatake! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and this is my master's shop." Smiling a bit uneasily, he gestured widely to the surrounding area.

"If I may ask, what brings you here at this late hour, sir?"

Kakashi's gaze swept over the entire place in a moment, but even so he seemed to be taking in every aspect of the shop with his calculating gaze. He seemed like someone who had learned to be very careful. Noticing this, the apprentice decided to be somewhat on his guard. Could this be a criminal on the run? Best not to take any chances. Naruto's mind flew to what objects he could use in self-defense should things turn sour. His eyes landed briefly on a poker resting against the side of the small fireplace.

"I've come from far away, actually. I'm a traveler, and I'm only passing through," the silver haired man explained, brushing a bit of the snow from his hair, "I'm afraid the storm is too bad for me to keep moving through it right now though."

"I see. Was there no room at any of inns then? Or are you lost?" the boy questioned, still suspicious.

"Sadly, they were completely filled. Not even space in the kitchen! Apparently there's some kind of event going on here tomorrow..."

The contest! Naruto had almost forgotten about it in his surprise at having a guest so late. The local inns probably _were _filled up with those who had come from near and far to witness this year's competition. Slowly he felt his suspicion of Kakashi dwindle. After all, his assumption was only based on things such as the man's appearance and slightly on-guard behavior. He really had no right to judge his visitor so harshly and so quickly.

"Well, this place isn't really made for hosting guests, but you're welcome to --" he began, but was cut short by Kakashi's quick interruption.

"I don't mean to stay here all night of course," he stated simply, causing Naruto's eyes to widen a bit in surprise.

"Then why did you come? It's really late!" he couldn't fathom where Kakashi meant to go at such an hour, especially with a storm raging outside.

"I merely need a place to rest temporarily until I can get going again. The taverns are closed, the inns are full, and it seems nobody is awake at this hour," the man continued, "I saw your lamp on and came thinking that I might be able to stop here for a short rest." He concluded the curt explanation with a facial gesture that, judging by his visible eye, might have been a reassuring smile had his face not been partially obscured.

Understanding flooded the boy's features and his demeanor lightened a bit as he took stock of Kakashi once more. It actually didn't seem like he was out to hurt anybody. He was merely a simple, though tough-looking traveler stuck in the snowstorm.

"You should stay here until the storm lets up then," Naruto suddenly chimed, his decision made, "Wait here and I'll go make us some hot cocoa."

Before the man could agree or disagree with the suggestion, the now vibrant-seeming blonde was off and shuffling around in a tiny room set behind the shop's counter, apparently making hot drinks for them both. Kakashi wasn't particularly fond of sweet drinks, but as the distinct scent of boiling chocolate wafted out to tease his nose he decided not to spoil the other's bright mood. It might be nice to have something warm in his belly after such a long trek after all.

"_What a strange state of affairs,_" he reflected. All the taverns closed before 12am? The inns were completely full, despite the fact that the place was not exactly a tourist attraction.

Of course he had some idea what was going on. He'd known beforehand about the amazing artisans in this small town, and the fact that it was home to one of the greatest clock smith competitions in the land. Still, he hadn't imagined that this little town could become a place that people would flock to after all these years.

At any rate, this might turn out to be just what he was looking for.

Curiously, the man eyed his young host as the boy busied himself in the small room just barely visible behind the sales counter. He sure was lively enough. Even though it was late, Naruto seemed to be bristling with energy now that he had somebody to entertain – in truth he seemed like someone who was hungry for human interaction.

The late night traveler wondered if that could be the case. The place where the boy worked was interesting too. The storefront area was full of assorted mechanical objects -- clockwork toys, appliances, and all sorts of gadgets occupied the many brightly colored display tables and cabinets in the shop.

What was more, it seemed that either Naruto or his master had a soft spot for animals. Especially frogs. There were frog toys and paraphernalia everywhere – in all shapes and sizes! The amphibians were by far the most well represented animals among the many mechanical creatures that littered the shop.

Suddenly, Kakashi's single eye widened as realization began to dawn on him.

Perhaps this was no ordinary shop after all. Intrigued, he picked up one of the mechanical frogs to examine it more carefully.

He was not disappointed. The genre was different, but the craftsmanship was the same.

"Master Jiraiya...?" he mouthed to himself. Glancing back at Naruto, suddenly things began to make much more sense. He had felt right away that there was something familiar about the spritely blonde boy.

"Cocoa's done!" Naruto called soon, as Kakashi heard the distinct rattle of two full mugs and a pair of spoons being placed on a metal tray. As expected, the golden haired one soon emerged from the little back room, carrying a well-worn brass tray that was loaded with a slightly smudged tin kettle and a pair of ceramic mugs, each bubbling over with steaming hot cocoa. He hadn't really wanted any before, but now that he smelled the hot drink and witnessed the tasty looking, though messily presented display, Kakashi felt grateful for Naruto's generous offering.

"Thank you very much," he said earnestly, as he gingerly accepted one of the steaming mugs.

The boy was practically beaming right now. His excitement seemed to well up in a manner rivaling the hot chocolate froth, which bubbled over the edge of his mug and dripped down the side, nearly burning Naruto's hand before he swooped down to capture it with an eager tongue. Kakashi couldn't help the smile that came to his eye at the sight of the pleasant youth.

"I make it really sweet, so tell me if you want more hot water," the boy warned, blowing on his own drink to cool it a little. He licked a little bit of foam from the corner of his mouth and smiled genuinely.

Nodding in kind, the man finally removed his scarf to reveal a handsomely formed mouth, before blowing on his cocoa as well. Taking an experimental sip, he waved Naruto off.

"This is fine."

They drank in amiable silence for a while, neither eager to disturb the comfortably warm and relaxed atmosphere with speech. In addition to that, Naruto really wasn't sure what to talk about with the stranger. Now that he was seated in the warm front room, with the mechanical heater puffing away in the corner, he was starting to become tired again, and the storm outside didn't sound like it was letting up very soon.

"So like I was saying before," Naruto began, when the silence had stretched on for long enough, "What brings you to a tiny place like Konoha? We're really not on the way to _anywhere_ so you can't just be passing through."

Kakashi seemed slightly startled by the sudden question. In truth he had eased into the silence a little too much -- something he was apt to do when offered the opportunity. His eye had a lethargic yet keen look to it, which unnerved Naruto a little and sort of tantalized him with curiosity at the same time. What a strange guy this Kakashi was.

"Well, I was born here."

He phrased the answer so plainly, as though it were nothing, but it nearly floored his poor young host.

"B...Born here?" was the boy's loud cry – almost too loud for Kakashi's tired ears in fact. It was quickly followed with an obscene exclamation, for in his surprise Naruto had burned his fingers on his hot mug.

"Yeah. But I left. A long time ago, when I was about your age, I left to serve a kingdom far to the west of here." Even though Kakashi's voice was carefully flat, Naruto was sure he could sense some emotion in the man's expression.

"A land to the west? Why? What's it called?" This was said in between bouts of Naruto sucking on his own seared fingers in an attempt to soothe the burn.

How inquisitive the boy had become! Kakashi felt a little of his pessimism disperse in the wake of Naruto's exuberant questions. A kid like that could make anyone forget his or her problems, if only for a moment.

Kakashi could feel himself warming up to this boy just a little more at that realization. He wondered if a story might be in order. It was late, and Naruto seemed like the type to forget half of what he heard anyway. The silver haired man eyed the large package that he had carried in with him then. Suddenly he knew that he was on the verge of making an important decision. This was quite ironic indeed – perhaps appropriately so. Kakashi stifled a chuckle and trained his eye on Naruto again.

"Instead of me answering all that," he offered, "Would you like to hear a story?"

Stories were always popular in small towns, especially when a stranger came around with new information to share. Kakashi could remember from his childhood the excitement that would suddenly infuse Konoha when a new visitor arrived with tales from abroad. Sometimes that was the only way news could spread to this place, which was considered somewhat on the fringes of civilization.

That was why he knew Naruto would accept the offer. Those bright blue eyes were already shining with anticipation as the apprentice's small pink tongue darted out to wet his lips quickly. He both accepted and encouraged the story-teller with a short nod.

And so the man settled himself in for a nice long narrative. It was no difficult task to recall the tale, for he knew it quite well. The real challenge was in judging how much to reveal and how much to hold back from his eager listener.

At last he began:

"It is said that long ago, before the second Great War, and even long before the preceding one, the revered Uchiha clan formed, broken off from a lesser strain of the famous Hyuuga bloodline.

"Unlike the Hyuuga, who were known for their skill in the medical craft, and who some say were even able to raise the recently deceased, the Uchiha were masters of machinery. It is rumored that their greatest family had even mastered the art of making machinery so realistic that it could pass for living things.

"They established themselves in the Western region of Fire Country, far from here, and made a great empire. Yet the Uchiha were secretive and suspicious, and they sequestered themselves from other kingdoms, which is doubtless why you haven't heard of them.

"Their leadership was divided into a few ruling houses, but all served the main house – comprised of those who had the most pure Uchiha blood. This special house contained a single family, who had carried down not only the most pure Uchiha blood, but also the most skill in mechanical work. The head of the house ruled strictly, but fairly, and had a kind wife, as well as two obedient sons. But their story wouldn't be interesting if nothing happened to them, right?"

Judging by the look on his face and the light in his eyes, Kakashi could tell that Naruto agreed, but was much too enthralled to answer vocally. The boy had probably heard stories of the Hyuuga, as there was a famous fairytale about them that most children heard growing up—but the tale of the cursed Uchiha clan was a lesser known one.

"So it came to pass that when he was still very small the younger son fell sick. He was only eight years old, and a very loveable, lively little boy at that, but he experienced heart problems. All the best medics were summoned - some from the Hyuuga clan itself! Yet still, it was proclaimed that the boy would certainly die by his ninth birthday.

"The clan was in a fury. They treasured the two Uchiha heirs dearly and did not want to sit by and do nothing. But it seemed there was nothing to be done. The boy's ninth birthday drew close.

"Just a few weeks before the child's birthday he was terribly sick and confined to his bed, when a strange visitor came to the Uchiha village. None had ever seen his kind before, and it is said that he had long hair the color of coal, glimmering eyes that were as sharp and cold as a snake's, and bore somewhat wicked looking features. What was more, the stranger claimed he knew of the clan's predicament, and that he alone could save the young Uchiha heir.

"Of course they were all suspicious, as the Uchiha were admittedly a very cunning bunch, but in the end, the boy's family was utterly desperate. The leader of the clan had an audience with the man, and it is said that afterward he looked terribly distraught. It was an uncommon show of emotion, and so it was well remembered. But nobody knew what it was that he had talked about with the stranger. However, the snake-like man was allowed to stay in the guests' quarters at the main house, so he must have told the ruler something hopeful.

"The newcomer remained there until the son's ninth birthday. That night, the young child became even more ill as expected, and in the middle of the night he died."

Naruto suddenly frowned; disappointment was evident in his features. But Kakashi was not about to end the story there.

"Or so it seemed," he continued, "Yet the father would not let anybody tend to the boy's body—not even his mother and older brother who were in turmoil and wanted to see the child. Instead he and the mysterious man went into the dead child's room, asking one servant to attend them through the night. They stayed there for many hours.

"By the next morning they emerged again, and with them was the younger son - alive and seemingly in good health! How could it have happened, you wonder? Well, he couldn't seem to remember how he had been cured, and neither his father nor the other man would speak of it again. Even the servant who had been there would reveal nothing, for he had disappeared. According to the father, the attendant had lost his nerve during the procedure and fled."

"But that's crazy!" Naruto interjected suddenly, "How the hell could that guy fix the kid when not even the Hyuuga could? Can't they resurrect people and stuff like that? I thought you said he _died_." The boy was resolute in his objection and eyed Kakashi expectantly.

"Shh," was the dismissive reply, "Keep listening and maybe you'll understand."

So now Naruto was displaying a bit of a rambunctious personality, Kakashi mused. The boy seemed to have relaxed a great deal while listening to the story. He was like a small child, listening wide-eyed to the tale as if it might really be transpiring before his very eyes.

The man continued, wary of inciting any more outbursts.

"After that night, the boy's health quickly returned and his strength even exceeded what it had been before. He became fond of physical activities, like hunting and all the games boys like to play. He even became interested in clockwork. As most of the Uchiha clan members did when they came of age, he became an apprentice machinist, but unlike others he was allowed the expert tutelage of his older brother. It was an honor that no one else had received before.

"Yet there was something wrong with the boy after his recovery. Although he had been healed, he began to change. Where once he had been loving, naive, and warm, he was now very cold—especially for such a young boy. It was as if he had lost his emotions. He began treating others with less care, and none could fathom why.

"Still, all those of the village adored him, and showered him with praise for his strength, beauty, and grace - for he had grown to possess all those traits. And so the clan was at peace."

"And that was all? What a lame ending!" interjected the bright-eyed youth.

"No that is not the end of the story," Kakashi told his impatient listener, annoyance creeping into his voice. Apparently Naruto had a less pleasant side too.

"For the next seven years the Uchiha clan enjoyed peace, much to spite the fact that their youngest heir was a very cold hearted boy. However, I haven't told you anything more about the mysterious snake-man who had helped save him, have I?"

Silence. Naruto scowled slightly as there was a pause in the story-telling, so he quickly resumed.

"He left shortly after the boy had recovered, telling the father that he would be back to collect his reward at a later date. The family of course would have paid any fee, for they had their son back and nothing could replace him. Not all the riches in the world.

"The father seemed a bit troubled, but he kept his silence and continued to rule effectively. Still, things weren't completely right with the younger son, as I described earlier. Not only was he cold toward others, but also every year, around his birthday, he would mysteriously fall ill. It was an odd affliction indeed, but every year his father would lock himself in the boy's room, with an attendant of course, and by morning he would be cured. Unfortunately, nobody ever found out just what went on in that room, because the boy would have no memory of it, and the servants consistently vanished each time they were asked to attend.

"There was no way that rumors could be avoided in the secluded kingdom. Everyone knew of the strange circumstances and they were all eager to know what went on beyond that locked door. Even the boy's mother and brother were curious, since they had never been enlightened as to the conditions of his cure.

"Thus on the boy's sixteenth birthday, like clockwork he fell ill once again. By this time, servants were wary of volunteering to go into his room, and even more afraid of being picked randomly, so that many even quit in fear. But there was one brave young man from the clan who happened to be very close with the older Uchiha boy. He promised that he would find out what went on in there, and that he would certainly not disappear like all the others had. The older son seemed highly reluctant, yet the father agreed. And so that night the friend stayed to help cure the sick youth."

"I bet he found out something weird didn't he? Didn't he?"

Kakashi did his best to ignore the loud interjection and went on.

"Nobody knows what he saw, because he disappeared too. Just like all the others," he was pleased to see the knowing smirk disappear from Naruto's face. "Nobody ever learned what went on, but the older brother was furious. He went into extreme isolation in his workshop, letting no one see him and even taking his meals there. Not even his cherished younger brother was allowed to enter.

"One night servants claimed they heard what sounded like the older son having an argument with his father. They said that they heard angry voices coming from the father's private chambers, but all that can be said for certain is that he went back into hiding in his workshop the very next day. For over three months nobody knew what he was up to.

"Then one day, while the younger son was off on a long hunting trip with his most trusted vassal, tragedy struck. A mysterious force had killed everyone in the village. Upon his return the young heir was so shocked and distraught that he could barely move. But when he had recovered, they searched the remains of the village for clues, survivors... anything. But there was nothing. Finally, when they had finished laying their friends and family to rest, they resolved to search for the perpetrator and punish him."

"Did they ever catch the guy? What kind of a powerful person could do that to a whole village? "

Kakashi shrugged dismissively. "That's what they were trying to find out. But who could do such a thing? The Uchiha were a very happy and close-knit people. Due to their isolation they had few enemies. But mysteriously, the body of the oldest heir was nowhere to be found."

"So was it the older brother? I bet he did it because he was pissed off at his dad!"

"Perhaps, but the whole village? What madness could drive a man to commit such an atrocity? At any rate, directly after that they both began to travel, searching for answers and clues as to the person who had done this terrible thing. But the vassal noticed after almost a year's worth of searching that there was something wrong with his master. The youth seemed to be losing his energy and vibrancy daily. At last on the night of the boy's seventeenth birthday, as the vassal had dreaded, his young master fell ill again, and it seemed that he would die before avenging his clan after all.

"Until the strange snake-man appeared before them once again. He demanded to see the boy making claims that his payment would be fulfilled. What could his vassal do? He knew that the man could help them. Therefore he accepted the man's help. This time no servants were available, so the man asked the boy's vassal to find someone in the street who would attend to him while he cured the boy.

"Of course the vassal knew the rumors. He couldn't let a stranger take on that responsibility. Knowing that he might die, as he suspected all the others had, the vassal offered to do it instead. He wanted so badly to save the boy, because having known the heir since childhood, he had grown to love the boy almost as he would his own child, despite the fact that the boy had become so cold.

"And so because he was expendable, the vassal offered himself, even knowing that in saving his master, he might never live to see the boy get better.

"But the snake-man seemed surprised, and told the vassal that perhaps an extreme operation was not necessary. He advised the man to sit with the boy through the night and see if he might recover on his own.

"The boy's caretaker was furious. He was almost certain that his master would die, and cursed the snake man's name again and again before returning to his master's side that night. In the morning, the boy didn't move. He was as cold as ice, complexion drained and lips pale in the morning light. It would seem that he was dead.

"Yet when his loyal retainer placed his ear to the young man's chest he heard the faintest sound. Not a heartbeat though. It was a mechanical sound - the sound of gears turning slowly, almost creaking to a halt! What strange clockwork was this that kept his master alive yet not alive? The vassal was disturbed, and yet relieved. There might be hope."

"Seriously? That's so cool! So did the kid get super powers or something after that? Did he turn into a giant machine and go hunt down the killer?"

"Nothing so spectacular. The child was barely able to hang on to life. But what had saved the boy? What kept him just barely alive throughout the night? Was this the power of love?

"Obviously if that were the case, it would take an extreme amount of affection to properly revive the boy. The vassal cared for him, but this sentiment was not quite enough to recover the boy fully. Though he was no less faithful, perhaps he had grown somewhat cold to the difficult young prince.

"But then what kind of power would it take to revive him? The vassal pondered this...and he began to travel, searching for a cure."

Excited blue eyes gazed up at him from the boy's place on the floor. Naruto had shifted to sit cross-legged on the carpet during the stoy-telling, like a small child listening to a tale before bed. Obviously all this talk about enchanted clockwork and mysterious charms was particularly interesting to him. His expressive eyes voiced his anticipation well enough, but he chose to speak anyway.

"So what happened? Did he find it or not?"

The man merely shrugged his shoulders and blinked his single eye.

"I've forgotten the rest of the story from there. Sorry," he amended.

"Sorry?" the boy was positively fuming just as easily as he had been enraptured with the story Kakashi told, "You can't just say sorry and dismiss it like that! I want to know what happened. That ending…it's just too…sad."

Kakashi was quiet after the boy's outburst and instead seemed to be listening for something outside. When Naruto noticed that the man had no intention of speaking, he quieted down and listened carefully too.

The storm had calmed. The blonde's eyes rose to that of his visitor a bit balefully, questioning the man without word. As if on cue Kakashi gathered his discarded muffler and rose. Clearly he was preparing to leave.

"Well, thank you very much for the refuge from that nasty storm tonight," he spoke, eyeing Naruto keenly. It seemed he was formulating some idea, "It's a shame I have nothing to pay you with..."

"Oh don't worry about it," Naruto said, dismissively, "The story was really interesting, and I'm sure it will give me some good ideas later. Consider it an even trade."

"No, no, that won't do," said the man insistently, suddenly bent on compensating his young host," Say...you said you're a clock smith, right?"

The boy nodded slowly. "I'm an apprentice, actually. I just really like clockwork things."

"Still, I think you'd appreciate what I have more than I can," Kakashi said carefully, shooting a meaningful glance toward the large package he had brought in when he came, "Why don't you keep it? Maybe you can get it working. I sure can't."

Naruto's eyes likewise shifted to where the large parcel sat.

"What's in it?" he asked simply.

"I'll let you open it after I leave," Kakashi almost whispered, as though confiding a deep secret of some sort, "Make sure you read the notes attached as well. They may seem strange, but they might also mean something to you if you think about them carefully enough."

"Um...are you sure you want to leave this with me?" Naruto asked. It looked like a highly generous gift for simply being given a warm place to stay this past hour. Then again, Kakashi seemed like an eccentric sort of person.

Or maybe he just wanted to get rid of the heavy burden to make his journey easier.

"Positive," the man seemed to smile at Naruto with just that one eye again, and then he was heading out the door, empty-handed, "Thanks again, and good luck."

Naruto smiled back as he watched the man go. "Nice meeting you. Hope you get to where you're going safely!"

Naruto watched as his new acquainance wrapped himself up again and disappeared out the door and into the blur of cold and white outside. As soon as the door closed, he hurried over to the package so quickly that he almost tripped over his own feet. It was like Christmas all over again as he tore through the thick packaging to get at what was beneath it.

As he came to the last layer of packaging, Naruto's face was beginning to contort with confusion. What exactly _was_ it? When at last he tore away the final layer of packaging his mouth was already hanging open with surprise.

"_A doll?"_

All that build up and Kakashi had given him a _doll?_ Granted it was no ordinary doll. It was life-sized first of all, and crafted in exquisite detail. Everything from the silk-like, obsidian hair, to the cold eyes, whose color resembled an overcast sky, gave the impression that this was a real live...boy? What the hell was he going to do with a lifelike replica of a teenaged _boy?_

_'"hat a waste,'_"he thought. What a cheap surprise...a trick even!

But then realization began to dawn on him. Kakashi had asked him to try and make it _work_…which meant that it was probably clockwork, right? Why else would the man give it to him, the apprentice of a master clock smith, to figure out?

Quickly he searched the device for a switch, a wind-up key, or button - anything that might turn it on. What he found was no switch, but he did discover just how well _detailed_ the creation really was. Blushing slightly, even though he knew it to be merely mechanical, Naruto fell back from the thing, flustered. What could he do if there was no button or crank to turn? How could he turn on a machine that had no switch? He stared at it for a moment in frustration, right into those deep and frigid eyes.

It was a short time before the blonde turned away. It was so life-like that it kind of creeped him out. Rather than waste any more time on it, he decided to clean up the mess from the cocoa. The empty mugs clanked about on the metallic tray with their spoons cheerily as he conveyed them back to the tiny kitchen.

Still, whenever he glanced back at the doll it seemed to be looking right back at him. It was freaky, how its eyes seemed to follow wherever he went, though they never moved. When he returned from behind the counter, he was becoming more and more enervated by the thing's cold gaze. It almost felt like it was mocking him.

Finally the boy resolved to turn it around to face a wall while he cleared things up and got ready to go.

Approaching the object, Naruto considered which way to attack the problem. It seemed pretty solid, much like a real body. So should he lift it up from the waist, or push it from the side? Should he try picking it up by the armpits?

He wasn't sure if it was fragile or not, so he was afraid that it might fall over and break without something to brace against. Thus he decided to grab it around the middle.

Placing his hands on the doll was something of a disturbing event, for he could discern that it wasn't fragile at all, and it in fact felt kind of _soft_. It was a lot like holding another person. Of course it was pretty cold to the touch, as a machine should be, but something was strange about a thing this realistic being so...lifeless.

Carefully he wrapped his arms around it from the front and leaned back a bit, trying to lift the object. He felt its feet leave the ground, but it was much heavier than he expected, just like a real human!

And then as his chest was pressed tightly to the doll's he could have sworn that he felt something. It was like someone had stuck a dying clock right up against his ribcage. He felt something _ticking._ The sudden shock was enough to startle Naruto ,throwing him off balance. He felt himself wobble forward a bit, and suddenly he was pitching backward with the realistically heavy doll above him.

As soon as he opened his eyes the blonde found himself staring once again into the bottomless grey eyes, this time mere centimeters from his own. His face colored at his own stupidity and at the awkward situation that he had gotten himself into. Squashed under a stupid doll. Why had he been so surprised at the ticking? He of all people should know that machines' gears moved around when the structure was disturbed by something like being picked up. Of course they would tick a little.

It must have been that story Kakashi had told him. That was it. It was late, and he was so tired that he half believed that crazy tale. Enough foolishness. He needed to finish this and go home to get what precious few hours of sleep he still could.

Still, up close Naruto could really appreciate the thorough detail of the object. Someone must have made it with the utmost love and care. He could understand well the drive to create beautiful clockwork machinery, and the love that a well-made machine inspired in its creator. His gaze was settled on the doll's eyes for a moment, as he remembered the feeling he had gotten when he'd constructed his first moving toy -- a small hopping mechanical toad. What he felt toward it could certainly be described as one of the best feelings that he had ever had.

Then he thought of his Nine-tails. That was enough to jolt him back into reality. He had to go home and rest so that he could come back early and finish in time for submission!

Heaving with exertion, Naruto managed to lift up from the ground a little. He blushed and tensed a bit as dead weight brushed against his nether regions slightly. It seemed the doll's knee had slid between his legs when they fell. Carefully he tried to brush the artificial limb away, but with no luck.

Now was quite an inopportune moment to learn that the damn thing to had a stuck joint! Naruto wiggled against the contraption a little bit in hopes of freeing himself of the clockwork body. Instead of lifting it though, all he did was rub against it in a more, prompting an _alarming _reaction from his own body.

Naruto stifled a small moan as he was unwittingly reminded of adolescent urges. What a time to be beset with sexual frustration! But then again, when was that not the case for the lonely blonde?

He mouthed a short curse as he tried to move more slowly and more carefully to extract himself from the very compromising position. His breath came in slightly short puffs as finally and with considerable effort, he disentangled his arms and legs from the mechanical being and slid out from underneath it, letting it collapse to the floor. It really was just a pile of dead weight.

But why then did he get the feeling it was more than that? He closed his eyes and shook himself, hoping to be rid of any unwanted feelings of arousal that had begun to emerge. Putting a hand to his forehead Naruto willed himself to settle down, though he knew he had little control over his body's reactions at the moment. His face colored even though he knew nobody was present to witness his embarrassing state. Gathering his wits about him, the boy decided to leave the machine where it was and not mess around with it any more until he was better rested.

It was as he was heading for the coat rack that he noticed the discarded instructions that Kakashi had spoken of -- too late of course. Naruto snatched them up hastily and assured himself that he could get up within a few hours and race back there to clean up before Jiraiya came. With any luck the old man would be out peeping on innocent women at the hot springs early in the morning anyway. Managing a small grin, the young apprentice retrieved his heavy winter coat from the rack near the door and prepared to step out into the cold.

He tossed a glance back at the doll, but it remained unmoving near the front couter, where he had left it. Eyeing Kakashi's notes, he caught sight of a bar of musical notation near the bottom of the page.

Strange...what did music have to do with the doll? Could it be sound activated? What advanced technology that would be!

Naruto licked his lips as an idea formed. Struggling with the notes, he gave it a try; after whistling the tune printed on the page loudly, he then waited for something to happen.

Nothing.

He felt too foolish to make a second attempt, and so, shooting the worthless doll an agitated glare, he exited huffily into the cold winter night.

What Naruto didn't hear was the sound of the gears within the doll's chest creaking into motion until they were at a steady whir. Gradually the pale blue of the doll's lips began to redden. His cheeks began to thaw, and the life seeped back into his eyes again. The only place where it did not become warm was the place right around where his heart ought to be.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Another resurrected fanfic...and another long prologue! ;; But I have to set the stage! I was editing this fic and "Red on Red" at the same time that I worked on the next chapter for the third (and final?) Naruto x Sasuke based fic that I'm writing, "The Ninth Seal," so I'm not sure if I caught everything that needed correcting. If I remember correctly, I had this one beta-read a long time ago, but that was before I revised it to my current tastes. ;;

I wonder if anybody even remembers seeing this. I remember posting it up in a few places, but it was never properly presented. (My fault...;;;;) This is a much easier write than the other two, because it doesn't require as much deep plot analysis and careful planning ahead. It's a nice story to work on when I start to get depressed while writing darker things.

I still like it as much as my other writings though! It's based on a very morbid and cute children's book of the same name, by Philip Pullman.

...XD; I'm such a sucker for cute children's stories.

-- hachico, October 2006


	2. One O'Clock

**Clockwork.**

By: hachico

**Disclaimer:** "Naruto" and all characters derived from said series are the creation and thereby intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto. No profits are being made from the creation of this work of fiction.

* * *

**One O' Clock**

Naruto groaned loudly in protest as he slowly forced himself from sleep and rolled out of the warm cocoon of his bed. Glancing at the small timepiece at the side of his bed, then the dark sky outside his window, the boy grimaced.

The chimes of his alarm clock were too loud. The room was too cold. The sky was yet too dark.

Had he really slept for a full four hours already? His alarm clock was telling him just that. Groggily, the young man emitted a low growl of dissatisfaction as he picked up the clock and flipped the small release switch on the back to still it from sounding any longer.

How he longed to swat it to the ground and sleep just a little bit longer. However, seeing as he would only find himself fixing it again later, to do such a thing would be rather like shooting himself in the foot.

Besides, his froggy shaped alarm was much too cute to deserve that kind of abuse. Eyeing it proudly, Naruto reverently replaced the object on his small bedside table. It was the first thing he'd ever been given by his current master. For his twelfth birthday he'd received the small clock with Master Jiraiya's well wishes and much ruffling of his already tousled hair. It was one of Naruto's fondest memories.

It was in the wake of this memory that the young man redoubled his efforts to get moving. He mustn't disappoint his boss. This year he would definitely take first prize for his machinery!

Naruto stretched briefly, feeling fully the ache from last night's cold, as well as the after-effects of spending hours on a rigid workbench yesterday. Swiftly Naruto procured from his messy dresser some trousers and a shirt, as well as some fresh underwear. The washbasin in his tiny bathroom was completely frozen over; A few quick cracks to the surface with his fist told him that. However, he definitely needed washing up if he wanted to look his best before the judges today. A little breakfast wouldn't hurt either.

Naruto glanced at the clock again. It was about half past 5 o'clock, so if he hurried it up...

His mind set, the young man shucked on his fresh clothing and bolted for the local inn.

* * *

"Psst..." 

Though he was quite close already, the girl gave no indication that she had heard at all, so focused was she at her task.

"Sakura! Psst!" Naruto whispered urgently.

Finally the head full of pink hair perked. She seemed to have caught notice of him.

"Naruto?" his friend called softly, peering through the dim room to locate him.

Naruto was currently standing outside the back window of one of Konoha's most popular inns, shuffling his feet to ward off the cold. He waved frantically at her from where he stood, motioning for her to let him in. It was a lucky thing that she had been near enough to catch sight of him.

"What are you doing here this early?" the girl questioned as she approached and began unlocking the door,"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for the competition today?"

"Could you just let me in? I'm freezing!"

The young woman obliged him swiftly. After ushering Naruto in through the back door, she hurriedly closed the portal behind him lest all the warmth in the kitchen area be lost to the outdoors.

Naruto gazed at the girl with slight apprehension as he prepared to make his request. He was wary of invoking Sakura's ire this early in the day, but what could be done? He needed a quick wash and something to eat.

"So what about the contest?" She demanded in a voice filled with concern. Despite frequent bouts of agitation at Naruto's hyperactive manner, as well as annoyance at his habit of fawning over her, Sakura was very anxious for her friend. More so than she would be willing to admit to the energetic young blonde.

"Oh definitely! I'm totally ready to head over there, but…" he implemented his best pleading look then, " You think you guys could spare some hot water from the kitchen? I know you've got plenty in there."

"_Again_?"

She seemed mildly upset, but nothing near what she was capable of. Shushing her lightly, Naruto cast his glance backwards at the room. It was nearly full of sleeping forms. They completely littered the floor of the inn, just as Kakashi had mentioned the night before. Seeing all those people, who were undoubtedly visiting their town solely for the purpose of watching the contest, totally put Naruto on edge. He had to get to the workshop as soon as possible!

"Please, Sakura" the boy pleaded, "I have to look good for the contest!"

Judging by the look on her face as she thought about his request, he could tell that Sakura was in a relatively compliant mood, which was a relief. Giving him a half-hearted glare for adding to her workload this morning, the girl finally nodded and began to make her way to a secluded corner of the kitchen. He could see her form moving carefully through scattered cleaning implements as well as oversized pots and pans on her way. And then, mentally singing his friend's praises, Naruto lapsed silently into musings about his work. How could he get the stupid fox moving?

The judging would begin promptly at one o'clock that afternoon. Submissions were to be brought to the judging area by no later than quarter to one for the judges to begin their review. That meant he had barely six hours left to complete his project. Try though he might, Naruto just couldn't see any way around it. There was no way he would be able to complete his fox by then without some sort divine intervention.

"Naruto!" Sakura's muffled call just barely reached the boy from the kitchen. This time she remembered to exercise more caution around the sleeping guests.

Grinning a little at her attempt, the boy rose and eased past the various kitchen objects just as Sakura had. When he had made it to the very edge of the huge cooking area he found her, practically bent double as she tried to empty some of the contents of a huge vat of steaming water into a smaller wash basin. The huge vessel was suspended by a large stand designed to make pouring easier, and with a modicum of pulling force from Sakura, tipped precariously toward the barrel-like washtub.

"Hold on. Let me help you, Sakura!" Naruto grabbed hold of tub just in time to aid her. Sure, Sakura was sturdy from years working as a kitchen girl, but he felt guilty already at having to ask her for help so early in her workday.

Then again, Sakura was the type who liked to do things herself. Even now he wasn't sure if she would scold him later for doubting her abilities. Gradually, through their joint effort the two managed to fill up the tub most of the way. The vat would need to be refilled a little later on, but Sakura assured him that she could have it done in time for breakfast without his help.

"I was thinking about it, Naruto and…" she seemed to become a little thoughtful then, "I think you're very right for once. You should be nice and clean today for the contest. I have a feeling you might win."

He practically beamed.

"Thanks, Sakura!"

"It would be a shame if you got up there all smelly and dusty...They might take your prize away!"

He grimaced a little at that. Was she calling him dirty?

"Yeah yeah... Where's the screen?" he demanded in slight aggravation. He didn't take very kindly to being referred to as "smelly and dusty", even if it was a comment made in good humor.

"Here," she replied, drawing a paper folding screen out from behind a large sack of grain, "Ino had to use it after her performance last night, so I just left it." So saying she began to unfold the partition, and in no time had the thing set up as a visual block between the tub and the rest of the kitchen.

"Oh yeah! So it's your turn tonight then, huh?"

This particular inn was well known in their town for being one of the few with nightly entertainment, in the form of dancing, musical performances, and poetry readings from several of the girls who worked there.

"Mm-hmm," the girl nodded, "I'm going to be on this evening during dinner. Ino and Ten Ten were up rather late last night for their performance, so Anko gave them most of the morning off. I'm taking care of things in the kitchen until they come in."

"Cool!" he said, meanwhile pulling off his clean shirt. Shaking her head silently, Sakura moved around to the other side of the blind. He could hear her begin to shuffle around the area as she set to work preparing the morning meal for their guests, a sound nearly as familiar to him as that of cogs turning.

"So how did your interview go? Didn't you tell me you applied over at the clinic?" he inquired, surprisingly glad for the company early this morning. His childhood friend's presence sometimes had a calming affect on the young man. Being like this reminded him of many early mornings spent in Anko's inn, quietly munching breakfast with the pink haired girl when he had nothing to eat at home.

He undid the rest of his clothing and dropped it by the tub. Sakura had left a severely shrunken scrap of soap, probably the kind that they used for cleaning pots, for him to scrub with.

Naruto smiled at his friend's subtle generosity. Soap wasn't exactly cheap. Slightly heartened by the show of friendship, the boy cast his gaze about for a moment in search of the old crate they often used as a step, and finding it, gingerly climbed up to began easing into his bath. Hissing a little at the feeling of the steamy water against his bare flesh, Naruto sunk in slowly.

"Were you saying something?" Sakura called faintly. The blonde could hear her bustling about to recover ingredients for this morning's breakfast nearby.

"Nevermind. We'll talk about it later," he called back as quietly as he could without being unintelligible. He really didn't want to disturb the heavily sleeping guests near the font, nor the peaceful mood that had settled over the area just now.

His bath was all together very relaxing, but very short. Once he had gotten used to the almost scalding hot water, Naruto gave himself a good scrub, hitting all the important spots twice for good measure. He soon found both his limbs and his tensions loosened by the warm, soothing atmosphere, until his thoughts began to wander slightly.

What should he do about his submission? It was really getting down to the wire, and if he didn't think of something soon, he would be in big trouble. Idly, he thought of the unexpected visitor from last night and how nice it had been to have some good company. The story had really helped him to stop worrying about his dilemma, if only for a short while.

And then, unbidden, thoughts of Kakashi's mysterious gift rose in his mind. It was really quite a stunning creation. When it had tumbled over on him, Naruto had gotten the chance to examine its features very closely, and had seen just how startlingly realistic it truly was. It had seemed as though its cloudy grey eyes bore right through him, following wherever he moved, and up close its finely carved lips looked almost supple enough to…

Naruto bolted upright in the tub at that very instant, forcing the thought from his mind. What on earth was wrong with him? He needed to get back to the shop and finish working.

In the next moment he was out of the tub and dripping over the cold stones of the kitchen floor. The boy danced lightly from foot to foot as the cool air dried him off. There were certainly no spare towels with so many people here, so it was all he could do. He was a little sorry for dripping on the floor though, because that meant one of the kitchen girls - Sakura probably, would be mopping it up later. Shaking a bit like a wet dog, Naruto finally gave up and began to slide into his clothes half-wet. He might risk catching cold on the way, but all he could think of at the moment was getting back to his cozy workshop. Though he realized suddenly that he was bound to get dusty again working on his fox. He frowned slightly at this epiphany.

As he refolded the screen, Naruto could hear Sakura humming a quiet tune while going about her work. Already he could smell oats roasting, which meant she was cooking now. She was a fairly talented singer, but nothing at all like their friend Ino, whose voice was like a clear-ringing bell.

And then it hit him. In a near frenzy, Naruto raced past his friend to where he had dropped his heavy winter cloak at the back door. Picking his way through bodies, he noticed that a few people were now coming awake, but clearly groggy from last night's boozing and whatever else.

He had no eyes for them however. Naruto snatched up his coat swiftly and made his way back toward Sakura as quickly as he dared.

"Sakura!" he exclaimed upon reaching her, momentarily forgetting to lower his voice.

"Shh!"

"Oh sorr-," he caught himself and continued in a harsh whisper," Sorry! Can you take a look at this?"

Without further warning he dug Kakashi's notes from his pocket and practically shoved them under her nose.

"What is it?" the girl questioned, pushing the paper away a bit.

"Notes."

She didn't seem to get it.

"Could you please sing these notes for me?" he asked her, fairly pleading. He pointed urgently to the few lines of notes at the bottom of the page.

Eyeing him with a little confusion the pink haired girl took the paper from her friend and gave it a scrutinizing look. And then she began to sing. Very softly, she trilled the notes on the page, but in a higher key than anything Naruto would have been able to manage. Sakura had a fairly nice voice when she was singing softly.

"Got it," he said, committing every sound to memory. And then he tried it himself, in his own somewhat broken rendition of it. He noted with pride that it was almost exactly the same as the tune that he had hazarded last night.

"Is that right?" he asked.

Sakura almost made a face, but tried to humor him. "Well, it's...it's not _too_ bad..," she encouraged. "Try it one more time? This is a lullaby, so I think it should be sung a little more sweetly. And you were singing it in minor key Naruto. Try and sing it more like me, okay?" And so he did after she had repeated the lines slowly, this time with a little bit more confidence.

"Yeah, that's it more or less," the amateur songstress told him, "But what's up? You really got that excited over just a song? You should be getting ready!"

"It's not that," he was tempted to tell her everything, but just then the large grandfather clock in the main lobby struck six o'clock, reminding him of all that he had to do.

"No more time to talk, Sakura!" he explained shortly, snagging a quick but crushing hug from the bewildered kitchen girl," Forget breakfast. I have to get ready for that contest!"

"That's what I told you. Good luck, Naruto!" she called after his retreating form, but he was already miles away in his own head. So far away that he barely even heard her words of encouragement.

* * *

As she hastened back to her kitchen work, Sakura mused to herself about the fate of her blonde friend and his contraptions, as well as about the strange song that he had asked her to sing. Thinking back to the song she realized that when she had sung it, it sounded like a lullaby. However when Naruto sang it, a little off key and in his slightly deeper tone, it sounded kind of like a forlorn love-song. Still, it was quite pretty, appealing to some sense she had never felt before. 

She tried to call the exact tune back into her mind so that she could hum it to herself while cooking, however she just couldn't seem to bring the exact notes to mind. A little bewildered at this occurrence, for she could usually recall tunes flawlessly, Sakura shrugged it off at last. Eventually, as she bustled about the kitchen to prepare for the multitude of guests that morning, she forgot about the sad little song altogether.

* * *

The morning sky was just beginning to lighten from pitch black to a deep blue-gray when Naruto finally made it to the store. Withdrawing his rather impressive set of keys, he carefully undid the many locks that closed off his master's workshop from the outside world. After he had finally undone the last one, he stepped in from the cold. Last night's blizzard had painted the landscape a chilling white, and had most people pent up in their houses, safe and warm until the midday sun melted more of the snow. 

Not Naruto though. He had to see if he could get Kakashi's doll working. It was the only chance he might stand at winning this contest. Naruto was almost certain that once working, it would amaze the judges, if only with its masterfully crafted details. The only problem was that it wasn't exactly _his_.

It was this very thought that stopped him short as he approached the spot where he had left it last night.

How could he claim credit for something that he himself hadn't made? Though he tried to reason with himself that figuring out how the work the machine was something of an accomplishment, he could not sway his conscience. In the end there was no way he could ride on the coat-tails of somebody else's research and hard work just to win. Naruto wanted to show the judges_ his_ workmanship -- just how good he had become through his master's tutelage.

And anyway, he couldn't simply toss away his painstakingly crafted fox for that stupid doll! No way. He would try and finish his creation up until the very last minute. If that didn't work then he'd...

A sound from the workshop commanded Naruto's attention suddenly. It was the distinct sound of someone rising from the creaking wooden bench in the workroom. Could Jiraiya be here already?

"Master?" he called loudly. Upon receiving no answer, Naruto froze. Simultaneously, he could hear the person in the back stop moving.

"_What in the seven hells?"_ "Hello! Who's there?"

Nervously, the boy made his way toward the fireplace. The poker should be enough of a weapon to drive the intruder off. Hopefully. However, looking around he noticed that something was wrong.

The doll! It was nowhere to be seen, though he had definitely left it in plain sight last night. Could if be...?

"_Stolen? A theif!"_

Naruto stoked his courage and approached the fireplace, prepared to defend his master's shop. But before he could make it all the way to the rack where fire implements were stored, the thief suddenly emerged from the back room.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

_The doll_ strode brazenly from the workroom. There was no mistaking the tall figure, as it was dressed in the exact same garb as he remembered from last night – a deep Prussian blue uniform trimmed in silver, with a decorative crest embroidered on the right breast. Though oddly, it was also wearing Naruto's work apron.

The doll fixed him with a demanding glare.

"Are you the fool who left me in here all night?"

Though it was surprising enough just to hear the thing _speak_, the voice that came out of it was a slap in the face. Softly delivered though it was, the doll's tone was brisk and commanding like a dash of cold water. Or ice.

The young apprentice eyed the shop's other inhabitant from head to toe. Obviously something was very wrong here.

"You...You can speak?" he cried. It looked and moved just like a real boy. Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing at all!

If it were possible for a doll to feel anything, Naruto would have interpreted this one's facial expression as one of extreme agitation. His look contorted further into one of utter disdain as he took in the blonde's appearance.

"What the devil do you mean?" He was clearly very angry; just the volume and delivery of his statements, slow and deadly quiet with finality, were enough to convey that," Just who the hell are you, and what am I doing here?"

Unthinking, the young clock smith began to pace slowly around the doll-come-to-life and examine him with an appraising eye.

"You're really...**really** talking, aren't you?"

"What's wrong with you? Are you slow?" the machine demanded in a highly exasperated tone, following the blonde's movements suspiciously, "Where is that incompetent Kakashi?"

Those words stopped Naruto cold. "Kakashi?" he echoed.

"Yes, my attendant. Where did he go?" the doll asked, "Don't tell me that lecherous fool left me here with _you."_

"Kakashi? Yeah...uh... he left," Naruto replied lamely. It was the only answer he could think of, " I mean, he left you with me of course. He told me to ... take care of you, I guess."

It was these words that Naruto would soon come to regret.

"_You?_" The other said incredulously, crossing his lengthy arms, "You don't look like much of a attendant. What services could _you_ possibly provide? And what kind of a servant leaves his lord lying on a cold floor in some…toy shop all night?"

The blonde's brows knitted together tightly then.

"This is not just a toy shop, you jerk!" he shot back,"We sell all sorts of things, not just toys!"

It was then that the apprentice caught himself. There was no reason for him to justify his work to a machine.

But just what kind of clockwork was it that could achieve this sort of realism? Walking, talking_...insulting._ This machine could do it all. Just like a real human! He wished it had a more inviting 'personality' though. How was he supposed to approach something like this?

"Then what is this place exactly?" it demanded again, " And if you're to be my servant while Kakashi's gone, why did you leave me in here all night? You're a little lacking in brains I can see, even for a commoner. But that's no excuse. Forget dismissal...I should have you killed."

How could he turn it _off_?

Naruto approached the doll, much to its apparent surprise. It startled when he began to feel around its chest and back.

"Where is the off switch?" Naruto muttered softly, tired of the doll's condescending behavior and highly detractive speech. He didn't like the idea of being talked down to by a machine.

"Stop that!" It pushed him away roughly. A bit_ too_ roughly, actually. It was very strong despite its delicate appearance, and Naruto fell back onto his posterior at he harsh shove, "How dare you, peasant!"

It was then that he remembered he hadn't been able to detect a switch last night either. Could it have been the song that triggered it? Maybe even the shock from when he had dropped it had loosened things up.

"_But how to turn it _off_? Voice activation again?"_

"Did you even come with any references? I could certainly do better without a dunce like you." It was glaring absolute daggers at him now, it's deep gray eyes hard and cool as porphyry.

"Off!" Naruto shouted loudly, so that he might be heard over the doll's reproachful speech. When that didn't work he tried again, "Stop! Shut down!"

It was then that he felt a solid palm connect with his cheek.

The blow sent him reeling, eyes shut tight. Naruto had been in more than a few scuffles in his lifetime with boys around town, but that had really hurt, as he had been completely unprepared. And before he knew what he was doing, the blonde was attacking. The doll seemed to hold nothing back in response. It was only after a few moments of battering one another that the two pulled away, panting heavily, each flashing the other glares of loathing across the ay.

"Shit...you kicked me in the face, bastard!" Naruto spat, rubbing at his slightly bleeding jaw. His other fist was curled at his gut and a distinctly warm substance was trickling down from a small scrape on his forehead. The asshole had been aiming for his eye with that gouge!

So much for his bath.

The doll regarded him silently, a deadly scowl plastered on his near-perfect features. He seemed to have taken much less damage than Naruto even though the blonde was sure he had landed a few good blows, and was clearly ready for more. Then again, the doll fought as though he'd had some formal training, as opposed to Naruto's self-taught brawling style.

The young apprentice mentally chided himself at that thought. The _doll_. What the hell was he doing fighting a doll in his master's shop?

Then frantically the boy gazed up at the clock. He was definitely running short on time. How could he let himself get so caught up in dealing with this stupid thing?

"Fine," Naruto said at last, forcing his breathing to calm to a normal rate," So I can't shut you off. What now, Doll?"

It seemed supremely perplexed at his question, yet angry all the same.

"Doll...Why do you call me that?" it questioned him warily. Naruto was a bit satisfied to see it work its own jaw a little bit after speaking. So he _had_ landed a good hit or two after all. "I can't believe you hit me back. There really is something wrong with you, idiot."

"Well what do you want to be called then?" Naruto had just about had it with the machine's attitude and scathing comments. How could it be so rude to a total stranger? It was making him think twice about all the gadgets that he had known and loved for their unquestioning usefulness.

"My _name_ is Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke, though _you_ may address me as 'Lord' or 'Master'," It informed him dismissively, "And thanks to my vassal Kakashi's idiotic sense of humor, I suppose you're my new servant."

Sasuke gave him another icy glare then. "So you'd better _act_ like it if you want to keep your head attached to your body," he added darkly.

Though the doll spoke in a very agitated tone, Naruto felt as though he himself were the one who was the victim of a cruel joke. _Uchiha_ Sasuke. He had certainly heard that surname before.

"I already _have_ a 'master'," the blonde boy spat, standing to regard the other defiantly, "And I'm _not_ serving you. Kakashi gave you to me as a gift!"

Its eyes widened considerably at his words, and the doll – _Sasuke_, adopted a scandalized look.

"Is that why you…? Are you saying that he's sold me off like a common _prostitute?_" the young man demanded, enraged, "That damned lecher!"

"NO!" Naruto cried immediately, repulsed by the very idea, "That's not what I'm saying at all! I am a clock smith. He _told_ me that I should try and figure out a way to _fix_ you."

The raven haired one seemed to pause thoughtfully at that statement. Turning his gaze to the floor, he regarded the lacquered wooden boards for a moment before looking up at the other boy again.

"Is that so?" Sasuke mused, "And…did he say what was wrong with me?"

The boy merely shook his head in answer, perplexed by the doll's slight change in attitude. Had he said something to upset it?

"I'm afraid he didn't tell me," Naruto admitted, " Though it's obvious there's nothing wrong with your operation."

And then he was struck with a thought.

"You said _Uchiha_, right?"

"Yes, that is my family name," he confirmed, seeming to have calmed down a bit," Uchiha Sasuke, of the venerable Uchiha clan. Though that clan is…no more."

"Just like in the story!" Naruto excalimed, "Are you looking for your brother?"

Sasuke narrowed his gaze on the golden haired boy, seemingly surprised.

"What did Kakashi tell you?" he demanded at once.

Naruto swallowed deeply and blinked a few times. So in that story last night, Kakashi had most likely been talking about this boy. Kakashi must be his faithful vassal. Which meant that all those things were probably true. The young apprentice could feel his head growing a little light at that realization. Things were getting just a little bit too real all of a sudden.

"The whole thing, I guess," he finally admitted, wary of Sasuke's piercing gaze.

"I see..."

In the contemplative silence that followed, Naruto remembered two things. One was that he was definitely running short on time if he wanted to finish mechanizing his fox by the deadline. The other was that he hadn't eaten breakfast, and he was absolutely _starving_.

"I'd like to ask you more about it," Naruto sighed finally, "But I really need to get to work. Is there anyway you could make yourself useful while I go work in the back? Do you know how to cook?"

This suggestion did not seem to sit well with the other at all, as he fixed an indignant look on the other boy immediately.

"You want me to _cook_?" he sneered, "I believe you have our roles confused here, attendant."

"My _name_ is Naruto!"

"_Naruto_," he corrected caustically, "_You_ shall be seeing to all of my needs for the time being. Until Kakashi returns from wherever it is he's run off to. That's your _job_."

With a tired sigh, Naruto realized that there was no way he was going to get anything done that morning unless he did it himself. He would just have to work around the unexpected obstacle until his master finally came in that day. Ignoring the doll's rude comments, he stepped forward so that they were almost nose-to-nose, noting that they were actually about level in height.

With a harried expression, the young blonde reached both arms around the other's waist and found the small knot that tied his apron about the dark haired one's front. Sasuke remained still as he undid the tie, but the dark haired boy's slow, even breath ghosted, warm and quite life-like across the blonde's face.

"You're very bold, aren't you," the other boy smirked softly as Naruto went about removing the garment from him, "Ignoring your master like that."

And suddenly there was a hand clenched painfully in the hair at the back of his head. Naruto's face scrunched up in agony as the other boy yanked backward, causing him to cry out loudly as the other hand gripped his side with great force.

His flight across the room was only halted by the large display rack attached to the wall at the opposite end of the room, where he collided with a sickening crack upon impact. Naruto could feel and hear the crunch of several contraptions being crushed beneath his weight as he slid down the wall limply. On top of that, he had clipped another display in his flight, upsetting its contents as well.

" I will only warn you once, _Naruto_," the other boy commanded softly, his voice dead with cold," _Do not_ disobey me."

"F…fuck you," the other boy spat, his breath coming heavily as he sat up with effort. His head spun madly and there was a slight ringing in his ears.

Though Sasuke's back was completely turned to him now, Naruto could practically hear the chilled smile that spread across the other boy's smooth features as he spoke.

"I can see you'll need some training. _Don't move._"

The arrogant young lord finished removing the garment that Naruto had begun to undo, allowing the faded green apron to flutter to the ground in his wake as he made his way toward the back room from which he had first emerged. Whatever this 'training' consisted of, Naruto was sure he wouldn't like it.

"_Bastard!_" he cursed as he watched the other boy's retreating form. He couldn't believe how easily Sasuke had tossed him the length of the room just then. It seemed…inhuman. But hadn't Kakashi said that he was an ordinary boy?

At any rate, it looked like there was no way that he could convince Sasuke to comply now. Nor would the other boy stand to be ignored by his 'servant'. In which case Naruto would have great difficulty in explaining the situation to Jiraiya, let alone doing his job. Moreover, how on earth could he work on his Nine-tails?

Unwilled, the song asserted itself in his mind. He had little confidence but…

Sasuke's movement halted as soon as he heard the first few notes of the song, uttered from Naruto's tired throat.

"Where did you learn that?" he asked, his voice barely more than a low hiss, "It sounds familiar."

Naruto smirked as the other boy spun back around, his expression one of unease. When Sasuke tried to move toward him, he could perceive the slightest rigidity in the boy's movement, as though he were having difficulty walking.

Sasuke clutched at his chest suddenly, eyes wide. To Naruto's slight discomfort, he recognized the look on the cruel young noble's face as one of pain.

"My…my heart?" Sasuke sputtered, cringing painfully, "_You!_"

In an unexpected move, the dark haired youth surged across the floor to where Naruto sat, slumped in a heap of broken machinery and rubble from the destroyed shelf. His hands were at Naruto's throat as he straddled the already weakened boy, attempting to stall his singing.. But it was too late. Naruto forced the last bar of the little tune from his mouth urgently, just as Sasuke's motionless form collapsed atop him, completely prone.

Scorning the other boy's unmoving form with triumph, Naruto weakly attempted to stand, but faltered and found himself thoroughly crushed underneath Sasuke's weight, much like the previous night.

The blonde fumed with embarrassment as he remembered his reaction at that time. How different things would have been if he had known what a cold and unpleasant individual this doll turned out to be! He wished dearly to move from his place on the floor, but his head was still spinning from the crushing impact he had recently made with the wall. It seemed that his body, already tired from lack of sleep, could not bear the added stress of hunger and painful physical exertion so early in the morning.

And so, bemoaning his horrible misfortune, Naruto slowly faded from consciousness.

* * *

"Naruto? Naruto!" 

Gradually the exhausted youth's mind stumbled back into reality at the sound of a familiar voice urging him awake. He coughed and sputtered a bit as a large amount of dead weight was relieved from his chest. His breathing had been slightly compressed for some time.

"Hey, brat," came his master's concerned tone, "What the hell happened in here?"

"What time is it?" The boy shot up from his spot immediately, a rush of adrenaline fueling his motion despite his body's energy depleted state. His master stood bent over him, shaggy mane of long white hair draped over one shoulder much like the tail of some animal.

"Just after twelve," the man responded after a quick glance to the cuckoo clock that hung up above.

"My fox!" Naruto cried in despair, scrabbling to his feet shakily," The contest! I have to..."

"Submit it?" Jiraiya finished, with a small grin, "Yeah, I saw it in there. Came in through the back. I guess you actually learned something from this old hermit, eh?"

"_What?"_

"But, it's not…" he trailed in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know you can't match my work yet," the confident man assured him, straightening to give the boy a hearty slap to the back that nearly sent him reeling," But it's nice work anyway!"

It couldn't be.

Naruto carefully picked his way through the mess at his feet, and hurried his step back to the workroom where his creation waited. Wheezing slightly, he practically ran despite his body's sharp protest. The blonde boy's blue eyes grew wide in anticipation as he stepped into the room.

And there it was. Naruto could tell right away that it had been tampered with. His beautiful fox laid a little ways from the workbench, having been completely opened up. It was in two halves, with the tails removed as well, but he could see as he approached the machine that the mechanization had been altered a great deal.

Amazed, the boy ran his fingers reverently over the exquisitely sleek inner design. It was all very well done, and actually close to his original concept. Eyeing the workmanship of the interior keenly, Naruto gasped at the delicate crafting. Everything made perfect sense to him now that he saw it completed.

"_Was it him? That asshole did…this?"_

"Nice work, kid," Jiraiya cautioned, stepping up behind the boy quietly, "But you'd better close that up and get moving if you wanna make submission time."

Visibly shaken, Naruto nodded slowly and moved forward, suddenly energized at the prospect of participating in the contest after all. He knew he looked a little scruffy, but that didn't matter now. Not with something like this to present.

"Place is an absolute mess, Naruto. What were you _doing_ with that thing?" the man questioned, teasingly, jerking his head in indication of the unmoving doll out front. With pride, he watched his student work fervently, "Nice craftsmanship on it. Not one of ours though."

Naruto shook his head absently as he reached for another tool, balancing the two halves upright with careful hands.

"Where'd it come from?"

The boy almost froze at that one. Should he answer truthfully? He was fairly sure that his master would listen earnestly if he decided to relate the whole story. However, it might not be the right time just yet. Not until he had won the contest.

"It's a long story," Naruto said simply, clearing his throat, "Is it okay if I tell you about it after the contest is over? I have to get this over there."

"Yeah, yeah," the man permitted, waving a hand dismissively, "I'll help you move it. Can't risk a late submission with something like this."

A warm smile crept across Naruto's features as he recognized his master's modest praise. It had been a truly difficult morning, but somehow it looked like things might turn out all right. All that was left was to head over to the contest and present his work to the judges.

Briefly Naruto thought back to his horrible encounter with the doll several hours ago. He was thoroughly perplexed by the strange occurrence, and his skin still tingled from the harsh blows Sasuke had dealt him earlier on.

Still, the song had worked, meaning that Naruto could forget about the condescending young noble while he enjoyed the festivities that night with his friends. And perhaps, he would be bringing home his prize after all.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Wai! I just realized how many wonderful people reviewed the first chapter, so I thought I'd add another author's note to thank everybody. That kind of thing really makes writers want to write more, you guys! It's awesome!

Anyway, this is one of the chapters that I had already written last year, so it came out pretty speedily. ;; I've gotta say... don't expect anything like this to happen again unless I suddenly get some kind of divine inspiration.

Also, I changed the characters' personalities a little bit from the original. Sasuke is way more of a cazy bitch than I had written him before. XDDD It's great! I know that Kakashi and Sakura's parts seem rather minor now (Where the hell did Kakashi go, anyway?), but watch out for them too...

--hachico, October 2006


	3. Two O'Clock

**Clockwork.**

By: hachico

**Disclaimer:** "Naruto" and all characters derived from said series are the creation and thereby intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto. No profits are being made from the creation of this work of fan-made fiction.

* * *

**Two O'Clock**

With the chill of yet another frosty winter evening setting in, the sun's light and blessed warmth having just begun to fade over the horizon, Haruno Sakura heaved a sigh, knowing that her work had only just begun. Tonight was a very special night. Once the town's famed annual Clockwork Pageant and its accompanying festival were through and a winner had been crowned, her place of employment would be flooded with guests seeking refuge from the cold outside as well as a nice hot meal and a little entertainment.

That was where she came in. Mainly owning to the fact that the tavern's top two performers were practically dead on their feet from two nights in a row entertaining, Sakura had been requisitioned to showcase her vocal talents that very evening. Luckily, this was probably the last night that they would have to deal with such a huge crowd, as many people would leave town the next day or the day after that, seeing as the main attraction, the pageant and subsequent festival, would be over.

The young hostess was considering that very fact in an attempt to brighten her mood, when suddenly a loud summons demanded her attention.

"Hey, Sakura!" came a boisterous, feminine voice. The inn's proprietor, Anko, strode purposefully toward Sakura just as the pink haired girl was about to return to the kitchen and see what work needed to be done. Having captured her young employee's attention, the woman then flashed a wide grin to assure Sakura that she was not in any trouble.

"Looks like things are under control for the moment," the innkeeper informed her cheerfully. Anko appeared to be in a rare mood, probably due to the fact that this was the most prosperous time of the year for the place. Sakura couldn't help but smile back at her boss's wide smile. The woman's upbeat disposition was highly contagious, which was one of the reasons that her staff more often than not enjoyed working at the inn, despite demanding circumstances.

"I heard that Naruto is in the contest this year," the older of the two mentioned amiably, "Since you're performing later, why don't you take a break for a while? I'm sure he'd be happy if you went to cheer him on a bit, right?"

Sakura nearly jumped with surprise. She certainly hadn't been expecting her boss to take note of such a thing, let alone give her such a generous offer. Blinking in surprise, she nodded vigorously, unable to find any words for a moment. It was true that Anko was rather hard on Naruto, often teasing him mercilessly about his shortcomings and generally giving him a hard time, but apparently she was looking forward to his success this year too. Sakura smiled a little bit at that thought.

"Th…thanks!" she said, happy, but more than a little shocked at the development, "What time do you want me to come back?"

"Make it at least nine," Anko replied in a cautionary tone, "Don't be late; We need you here before the contest festivities end and people start pouring in, got it?"

That was not surprising in the least. If she wanted to beat the rush of people coming back from the festival she would have to leave the festivities a little earlier, but at least she would get to participate in the fun for once.

"No problem," the girl agreed with a sharp nod, "See you later!"

And with that she quickly headed toward the smaller coat rack where employees hung their garments, glancing back briefly as she hung up her work apron, bundled up for the cold, and prepared to step outside into a blur of white. Her boss waved her off cheerily as she exited the warm inn.

"_Naruto will be totally shocked!"_ Sakura thought gleefully. She had always been kept busy at work during years past, so she had never had the chance to properly attend the pageant. For that reason, she couldn't wait to see the look on the young apprentice's face when she showed up at the contest to encourage him along with his other friends. As she headed out into the chill evening, Sakura couldn't contain the smile that claimed her face.

This would be one clockwork pageant that Naruto would never forget.

* * *

Beaming uncontrollably, the young clockmaker surveyed his fox for what was easily the fourth time since he and Jiraiya had finally delivered it to the holding area specially requisitioned for this year's clockwork contest. The place was actually a big abandoned workshop near the center of town, completely vacant save for several empty shelves and dust-covered cobwebs. As he gazed around at the other entries, Naruto could see that they were all scaled similarly to his own, and though they were shrouded in simple brown cloth to conceal their appearances until the time of presentation, many appeared to be equally impressive. 

He had heard that in addition to the creator receiving the usual medal and cash prize, this year the winning entry would be slightly modified and fitted into the town's large clock tower, in order to display the creator's craftsmanship for generations to come. Each time the huge timepiece struck the hour, a small entourage of moving mechanical characters, painstakingly forged by clock smiths past, would make their way out of the large clock tower one by one on a revolving showcase. There they would go about dancing, mock fighting, and so forth as the huge timepiece tolled the hour. It was the ultimate homage to one's clock-making skills to have a piece of one's work installed in the highly visible display.

That was probably why this year all of the entries were bigger and flashier than any that he had ever seen in years past, some looming even larger than his own monster creation. Looking around, the blonde had to admit that there were many entries that might be even better than his own, but at least with his fox completed he felt like he might stand a chance. Moreover, this would be an excellent opportunity for him to give his work some exposure to the public. There were very few occasions in the small town of Konoha, when such a multitude of people from so many different locations gathered as they did for the town's annual Clockwork Pageant. In all, Naruto was still getting accustomed to the fact that he was even _in _the competition, considering that his prospects had seemed so dim just a few hours earlier. He was very satisfied at seeing his project in its final state, and the idea of winning made his skin prickle with anticipation.

But with that thought, the image of The Doll suddenly reared up in Naruto's mind to confront him, face stamped with a wholly disapproving scowl. Had it really been that cold-hearted, obnoxious mechanical boy who had tweaked the inner workings of his invention to perfection? It just didn't seem possible that a person who appeared to have such little heart for anyone could understand something so beautiful. To Naruto it was a disturbing revelation at the least. He was so intent on making a name for himself as the best machinist around, truly putting his heart into all of his mechanical wares, and yet it was _that_ bastard who had given his fox just what it needed to operate smoothly. It was a rather unexpected blow to his ego to find that, after all of his hard work and frustration, he was somehow even marginally inferior to the pampered prince who'd just shown up over night.

"Yo, kid!" came his master's voice suddenly, summoning Naruto from his thoughts, "We shouldn't hang around back here for too long. Don't want them to suspect us of tampering do you?"

The blonde shook his head violently at the very implication, and rose at once to join his mentor near the exit.

"Come on," Jiraiya urged, waving him over, "It's not like it's going to go anywhere, right? Let's go check out the festival."

"Yeah right!" the young man teased as he caught up, cutting suspicious eyes over toward the light haired man, "I've got better things to do than tag along and help you run that stupid 'I'm a widower and my poor son needs a mother' scam again. If you wanna pick up women, do it by yourself!"

Jiraiya was somehow able to produce a thoroughly scandalized tone, despite the familiar, knowing grin that had overtaken his features.

"What makes you think I was going to do that? You don't think I enjoy spending quality time with my _favorite_ student?" he said smoothly, "For your information I was going to do you a favor, and teach you a little about how to woo the ladies. Maybe then you wouldn't have to get your jollies by molesting dolls in your spare time."

"My jollies are none of your damn business, old man!" Naruto shouted vehemently, cheeks flaming.

Following this comment, the man collapsed into a fit of snickering at his own sick humor, but the only other forthcoming response from the young apprentice was a pronounced rolling of the eyes. Having long grown used to Jiraiya's ploys and vices, he should have chosen to ignore the jest, but instead Naruto made sure to slam to door to the warehouse on his master's toes on the way out in retaliation.

Still, as Jiraiya's cursing and howls of pain drifted out after him and into the chilly winter streets, Naruto could not shake the image of the aforementioned doll from his mind. Even more disturbing was that the prevailing image in his mind was that of the young man's face just before he had collapsed a few short hours earlier. The look of utter agony that had plastered the mechanical boy's features for a brief moment before he ceased functioning simply would not leave the blonde's thoughts.

Suddenly the loud chiming of the nearby clock tower, which was very clearly audible from the abandoned workshop, roused Naruto from his thoughts, spurring his steps as he hurriedly exited the place. However, it did nothing to dispel the guilt that weighed heavier and heavier on his mind, dampening his mood all the way to the festival grounds.

* * *

The snowy haired master clock smith sighed despondently as he received his twenty-third refusal of the evening. It wasn't as though Jiraiya was unused to the sting of rejection, but it was still discouraging to find that he had already been through a good fourth of the prospective female companions present at the fair and still had yet to attract any loving affections. It didn't help that he seemed to have left his wallet at the shop in his haste to help Naruto deliver his creation on time. It wasn't so bad, because he had a friend at one of the concession stands who was all too glad to furnish him with free drinks, but he couldn't exactly impress girls when he wasn't even able to purchase a little something to eat. 

Scowling in annoyance at his own careless mistake, the man was just about to move on to the next opportunity when suddenly a youthful female voice demanded his attention from behind. Eyes lighting with joy already at his good fortune, the clock maker snapped around to regard his feminine caller.

"Master Jiraiya! Is Naruto with you?" demanded the girl before him abruptly. The man's ready leer dropped immediately as he identified the girl as Haruno Sakura. Seeing as she was a friend of Naruto's and definitely not old enough to set off his radar yet, he considered pretending that he hadn't heard, but the tenacious kitchen girl stalked up to him immediately and began peering about for signs of her clock maker friend.

"He's probably up by the judging area by now," the man relented when she seemed intent on getting information from him, "Why don't you go up there and check?"

Sakura merely blinked in surprise and shook her head a little, saying, "I've already been there, and he wasn't around. He would probably be with his friends anyway. You know, Hinata and Shikamaru, and everyone."

Now it was his turn to be shocked. He would have thought that his young apprentice would be off steeling himself for his big review by now. For him to have strayed away from the waiting area for participating contestants was quite a strange development. Briefly Jiraiya thought back to the boy's apparent discord earlier that day. It was obvious that something was bothering him, and with this development he now knew that it was probably not the cause of the pageant in which he would be participating that day. His thoughts also turned to the curious state that the shop had been in when he had come in that afternoon. Though he hadn't deemed it necessary at the time to question Naruto any further on the circumstances that might have led to the mess in his showroom, as well as the blonde having been lying unconscious under a suspicious life sized doll, he was by no means ignorant of the implications of the recent events. On the contrary, he had a notion that soon his young apprentice would be entering into a world of trouble, and if he himself didn't intervene soon, they might both pay for it later.

"Weird. Well, you probably won't find him in this crowd," Jiraiya advised her, glancing out at the ever-growing population of revelers in town for the event with a rather thoughtful expression, "You'd make better time just waiting for the show to start."

Sakura pursed her lips at that statement, and then shook her head sharply from side to side.

"I'm going to head over to the shop and check for him," the girl informed the much taller man. So saying, she turned on her heel to leave, but not before a heavy hand was planted on her shoulder, holding her to her place.

"That's all fine with me," Jiraiya informed her abruptly, nodding once, "But if you're going to be wandering over there anyway, I'd like you to do me a favor."

"Favor?" Sakura echoed bewilderedly.

"Yeah. Stop by the shop and grab my wallet for me; I forgot it. I'd have asked Naruto, but he took off on me a while ago."

"Oh. Sure," the girl answered, blinking, though she was not a bit surprised that Jiraiya was hesitant in asking the blonde boy for assistance. It was no secret that Naruto wasn't particularly interested when it came to anything other than his precious machines.

"It should be on the worktable in the back. You know, the workroom," he informed her helpfully, "Look under the little toad by the back door for the spare key to the workroom. And bring it to that stand where they're selling drinks; that's where I'll be hanging out for now."

"Spare key under the toad," she mimed brightly, "Got it."

And so the pink haired girl turned again and headed off into the chill evening again, bound and determined to find her friend. The master clock smith smiled to himself, pleased at having saved himself a trip back to the store. Now he would have that much more time to find some company before the main event.

* * *

Upon arriving at Naruto's place of employment, Sakura was pleased to find that some light shone through the warped glass windows of the small store. Thinking perhaps that she had found her friend at last, the girl's countenance lit up for a moment, before she gave the old wooden door a few sound knocks. But when there was no clatter of boots across the well-worn floorboards of the shop, she began to lose heart. 

Where on earth could the clockmaker boy be?

Resigning herself to the idea that she probably would not be finding Naruto that evening, Sakura trotted around to the back. Once at the back door, she dropped her gaze and cast about for the toad that Jiraiya had mentioned. Then, upon spotting it, she stooped low to snatch the little figurine up from the ground with a modicum of irritation.

"_Dammit, Naruto!"_ she thought to herself angrily, _"I finally get off work one year to come watch you, and you have me looking all over town like this is some kind of stupid scavenger hunt!"_

None to pleased at her current predicament, the girl plucked up the key, shivering at the chill that assaulted her fingertips upon coming into contact with the moist winter's ground. It would be bitingly cold in another hour or so, once the sun had been down for a while. It looked as though there would be only a sliver of moon tonight as well; she noticed when she glanced up into the sky momentarily. In no way looking forward to the imminent arctic temperatures of the festival that night, the young girl subconsciously shrugged deeper into her red woolen coat before putting key to lock and letting herself in.

What awaited her on the other side was a room much darker than what she had expected simply from staring in from outside. She realized now that it was actually darker inside than out without the bright snow illuminating everything under the waning yet luminescent moon. Sighing slightly, the girl shuffled into the dim place, leaving the door open for some lighting, though it was very cold out. She glanced about quickly in order to locate the goods that Jiraiya had spoken of, but the place was totally cluttered with raw materials and mechanical parts, as well as several scrapped works, no doubt projects that Naruto had started and given up on. She smiled as she looked around. Sakura had not had much occasion to come back here before, so she didn't really get to see much of what went into Naruto's creative process when he was making his precious machines. Judging from his refuse, however, it seemed that he was as dedicated to his work as one might intuit, given the fact that he was always chattering on about it.

Shaking her head at her friend's unfathomable interest in the mechanical contraptions, Sakura set to poking around here and there, more out of curiosity than any real attempt to find Jiraiya's wallet right away. As she sifted through the junk, the kitchen girl hummed to herself a little, in order to distract herself from the chill. And then slowly, she found the song that Naruto had shown her earlier coming to mind. The soft little melody pried its way past her lips inadvertently as Sakura finally set her eyes on her goal.

"Found you!" she exclaimed delightedly; Now she could finally get out of here and back to the festivities. To hell with Naruto and his flightiness! She was freezing now, and could think of nothing more than the fresh, warm cider that awaited her back at the fairgrounds.

"Back for more?" demanded a sharp male voice from right behind her all of a sudden.

On instinct, Sakura gave a piercing scream and whirled around to face the bearer of the unfamiliar voice.

"Wh-who are _you?_" she demanded, in a way that she hoped was menacing, "What are you doing sneaking around in Naruto's workshop?!?"

There was a slight pause in which the intruder seemed to be gauging the situation. He seemed a little surprised, or even disappointed that she wasn't who he had thought she was at first.

"Do you know that stupid boy?" the other demanded in irritation.

"Y-yeah! You…you know Naruto?" she inquired, growing even more suspicious.

There was a soft chuckle that was by no means friendly as the stranger smiled threateningly at her. Sakura was startled at the ghostly coloration and the smooth shape of his face in the exaggerated light. Who on earth was this young man, and why was he skulking around in the workshop with nobody home? She hadn't even noticed that anyone else was there with her.

"I suppose I do. Are a friend of his?" the boy questioned, moving a little closer. Though the room was only halfway illuminated by the marginal light from outside, she could make out her companion's form pretty well, and was thoroughly astounded. He was absolutely princely in appearance, from his slightly lavish clothing to his sharp, clean features.

"I…I'm Haruno Sakura," she told him, color rising slightly to her cheeks, "Wh…who are you…may I ask?"

"Uchiha Saskue," the boy replied slowly, "Of the Uchiha royal house."

"_Just as I thought!"_ Sakura squealed mentally, _"Royalty!"_

"Oh! Um…p-pardon me my lord," she stuttered, not quite sure how one would address a royal figure, "May I ask what business you might have in such a place?"

"I'm looking for him," Sasuke replied at once, a little bit too ardently for Sakura's comfort, "That boy, Naruto. Where is he?"

"_A friend of Naruto's?!? That jerk, keeping me in the dark about something like this! And here I was worrying about him!"_

Sakura relaxed slightly at that thought. If Naruto was an acquaintance of this young man, than she certainly might have an easier time getting to know him. After all, they were best friends weren't they? Smiling a little to herself, Sakura deemed it crucial that she stay by the young lord's side as long as she could if she was going to get on his good side.

"I'm actually looking for him too. I've got to deliver this wallet first, but why don't you come along with me?" she suggested animatedly, "Naruto happens to be a good friend of mine, so I have some idea where he might be. I'm sure he'll turn up with we look for him together!"

Looking none too thrilled at the proposition, Sasuke blinked at her quite a few times before making his decision. Although she had a feeling that the boy was skeptical in taking her offer, he finally nodded in agreement.

"Very well," the dark haired boy conceded, "Take me to him."

* * *

A dizzying swirl of festival lights ignited the young noble's vision briefly as the pink haired girl carefully led him out onto the main thoroughfare. As he was tugged urgently into the steady flow of pedestrian traffic by his seemingly streetwise guide, Sasuke noted that he didn't seem to be very much affected by the wintry temperature, though Sakura assured him that it was bitingly cold, asking again and again whether he was really all right being outside without a heavier coat on. The wind seemed to batter her about as helplessly as a child's toy. 

At that thought, Sasuke paused briefly. What was it that the servant boy had called him earlier?

"_Doll."_

Frowning softly to himself, the Uchiha heir hastily shook his head to clear it of the ridiculous notion. He had no doubt as to just who had convinced the other boy that he was some type of mechanical being merely simulating human interactions. No doubt his wayward caretaker had something to do with it, and he would surely let Kakashi know what he thought of the silver haired man's idiotic sense of humor at the very moment of his return.

However, as they approached the town's center square, Sasuke somehow found himself unable to rid his mind of the blonde boy's fervent assertions. It should have been an easy thing to ignore, but somehow it didn't quite seem like the type of thing Kakashi would make up, and Naruto had seemed so adamant about his point of view that it was mildly convincing. Even if he was an idiot, the fact that the young apprentice was so serious about it could mean that he had some sort of basis for his standpoint.

And then there was that song from before. The moment he had heard it, there had been a halting, creaking, shuddering sensation in his chest. It tore at him viciously, a million serrated teeth raking through his ribcage at once, just before darkness had taken him. It was like his condition was connected to the strange little tune that the young clock smith had broken into at the store. Utterly perplexing.

"_But I am definitely just a human seeking to avenge my clan," _Sasuke reminded himself finally,_ "I know well of the arts of mechanical construction, but there is no art that can touch the type of realism that _he_ was speaking of."_

And in reality that was all he needed to affirm his existence, wasn't it? He had his memories after all. And even more importantly, he had his oath of revenge. The party responsible for his clan's demise must be brought to justice above all else, the young man rationalized to himself, while Sakura checked up ahead to see if she could locate her rendezvous point.

And then he was once more being herded this way and that by the excited young kitchen maid as they ran off again, presumably heading toward her goal.

"Come on! This way!" she urged in a merry tone.

Barely nodding his assent, as he somewhat resented the ignoble treatment he was receiving from the cheeky young commoner, Sasuke made a mental note to inform her proper employer of her extremely brusque manner. The nerve she had, touching him without permission!

Breifly, Sakura was separated from and then reunited with him in the crowd, seeking his slightly chilled palm with her own, smaller, softer one each time that she lost contact with him for a moment. To his annoyance, Sasuke was jostled about quite a bit in the congested bustle of human bodies that Konoha's town square had become, but he noted with some apprehension that although he collided rather sharply with others on the way, he barely felt anything at all. It was as though he couldn't feel anything.

"_Very strange indeed," _he reasoned, for some reason unable to ignore the seed of doubt,_ "I have my memories. And I have emotions and dreams and everything, just like normal, don't I?"_

And then very abruptly, he realized that something was off. Sakura was gone. She must have accidentally slipped away from him again. There was no doubt that relocating each other would be difficult in the veritable throng of people. However, that was the least of his concerns as the young lord made yet another realization. He was gradually losing momentum. Moreover, his sense of things around him was becoming more and more vague. It was no wonder that he hadn't even noticed when the warmth of Sakura's hand in his had vanished.

It grew difficult to see anything, as objects blurred and became grey at the edges of his vision, and soon Sasuke could just barely feel the same strangulating lurch from before begin to roll through his torso. Growing heavier and heavier with each step, the muscles in his chest screamed as though something in him was struggling for one last rotation. The dark haired boy might have been beset by fear if not for the incredible dullness that suffused his skull simultaneously, like so much cotton. Soon the very thought of a thought seemed beyond him.

People began bumping into Sasuke with more frequency as the young noble's surroundings drifted further and further from his grasp and he slowed to a stop, but Sasuke was only aware of this sensation in some far reach of his consciousness. He managed to stumble a few steps back until he was slightly away from the throng of people, but that proved to be his limit as gradually the light faded from Sasuke's features and his eyes slid shut.

* * *

"You did _what?!?_" 

Sakura covered her ears gingerly against the harsh onslaught of profanities that suddenly poured forth from her childhood friend. It was a mystery to her where he could find fault with something so innocuous as her brining Sasuke to enjoy the festivities. After all, who would want to stay at home alone with such a momentous festival going on just outside?

"Well what's so wrong about it, Naruto?" she bellowed back in righteous fury, giving her friend a sound cuff to the ears for emphasis, "I was going to come and cheer you on anyway, _if you were anywhere to be found!_ Where were you? I went to the shop to look for you, and he was there all by himself so I just…Oh why am I even explaining this? I can't believe you! He's your friend isn't he? Helping him is way more important than stuffing your face, stupid!"

At this hasty assertion, the golden haired boy stopped short, blinking at her in disbelief. He had just finished off his second cup of cider when the anxious girl had practically assaulted him. He still wasn't quite sure how she had gotten mixed up with the annoyingly arrogant dark haired boy.

"St…stupid?" He reiterated, a little offended, "Are you out of your mind, Sakura? This guy wants to _kill_ me. Or something worse even…I don't even know what!"

"Well then what on earth was he doing in your shop?" she demanded, utterly confounded, "Don't tell me you just let a total stranger come in."

At the latter accusation, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little chagrinned, as he remembered having done just that the night before. But to his credit Kakashi hadn't turned out to be a bad guy -- not a violent one anyway.

He was still angry with the troublesome doll, but no matter how much he wanted to beat the other boy's brains in, he was distinctly aware of the fact that the arrogant young Uchiha had essentially saved his ass today. In fact, no matter how he considered it, Naruto was now deeply indebted to the other boy. Even if his morning hadn't been taken up by the lengthy altercation that the dark haired boy had embroiled him in, he was not quite confident that he would have figured out the gear work for the machine in time for submission.

"_Though one could probably say that I've already paid for it with my body,"_ the boy mused with lingering resentment. His back was still tingling with the repercussions of being thrown around earlier.

Sakura sucked in a steadying breath and mentally counted to ten before she went on to admonish the stubborn young machinist further, "Look, Naruto, I don't care _what_ he may or may not have done to you before. You can_not_ just leave him out there in that crowd all by himself," the girl argued, "Sasuke doesn't know this place, and I'm pretty sure he's not too street smart either. Anything could happen to a noble with all these strange people visiting town!!"

"Then why'd you have to bring him?" the blonde half whined, adamant in the belief that he should at least put up a _little_ protest before succumbing to the inevitable.

"Just get out there and _look_!" the girl growled, mercilessly shoving him out in front of her and back into the surge of human bodies. That was the last Naruto heard of her before she disappeared off into the steady flow of movement, presumably to look for Sasuke herself.

"_I don't believe this!"_ the young apprentice fumed inwardly, _"It's like everyone wants me to lose this competition or something! I have to be back on stage to present my…_our_…creation in thirty minutes, and here I am searching the crowd for his lousy ass!!"_

He would have liked to be able to forget Sakura's words, but she was actually more right than she knew. Regardless of what Sasuke had done, or even tried to do to him, the fact remained that Naruto owed him one. And he'd be an even bigger asshole than the dark-haired boy if he just left Sasuke out in the cold and went off to claim all the credit for himself.

A nauseating churning began in the pit of Naruto's stomach as he started to get an inkling of what he had to do. But first, he needed to locate the object of his discomfort and make sure that he wasn't in ay danger. It was hell trying to sift through the huge crowd, as people seemed to be everywhere he turned. The sounds and smells of reveling and anticipation for the night's main event permeated the blonde's senses until he thought he might get swept away with it all. How on earth was he supposed to find one person in all this mess? Naruto was truly beginning to doubt whether he could even find his own way back to the stage.

Aggravated and becoming increasingly worried about making it back in time, the apprentice cried out the other boy's name again and again, but even if Sasuke _did_ happen to hear, there was probably no way he would be able to locate the origin of Naruto's voice. He suddenly wished that he were taller. Then surely he'd be able to spot Sasuke in the crowd. He couldn't even be sure that nothing had happened to the snotty young man though. Strong as Sasuke might have been, his attitude could easily lead to a fight what with all the people stumbling about in an alcohol induced haze right now.

What if something were to happen to the young lord? What would he tell Kakashi if he ever saw him again?

Anxiety began to set in as the sky continued to cloud with the promise of more snow, and the chill of the evening seemed to seep into the boy's bones profoundly, despite the amount of bodies crowded into the area. What should he do?

"Whoa, watch it, squirt!" came a cautionary tone, as Naruto suddenly collided with a solid form.

"Gah! I'm really sorry—" he began, but stopped short as he gazed up to find himself looking into a familiar face.

"You!!" he cried, before he unthinkingly threw his arms around the man's sturdy midsection. He suddenly ducked away, expecting to be swatted at, as he realized what he was doing. However, no such reprimand came. Sniffing softly, Naruto soon identified the cause.

"Are you _drunk?_"he demanded suddenly, narrowing his eyes.

"Hah! Of course I'm not drunk," Jiraiya laughed, a sure sign that he was indeed drunk.

"You shitty old bastard!" Naruto cried in outrage, "I barely even made it _into_ this damn contest, and now that stupid jerk's out running around freezing to death and I can't even see over the crowd with all these stinking drunks stumbling around and they don't even _move_ when you ask them to, and –_Put me down!_"

"Up we go!" the master clock smith bellowed as he hoisted Naruto up onto his shoulders with as much ease as he might a small child, despite the boy's loud protests.

"Are you out of your fucking _mind_, geezer?!?" the blonde raged, pummeling his teacher repeatedly with unrestrained blows.

With complete disregard for his pupil's dignity, the white haired man trotted merrily through the crowd, with no particular goal in mind, humming slightly to himself. It seemed he had no intention of letting Naruto go either, as he paid no heed to the boy's protests.

"How's that for a view?" Jiraiya called up to him cheerfully, pausing briefly to regard a passing young woman's behind.

"I'm going to poison your coffee the next chance I get," the indignant youth growled in earnest, as he scanned the crowd for the missing doll. As long as he had a bird's eye view, he might as well use it.

"There!" Naruto cried suddenly, spotting a flash of raven hair and the deep blue of Sasuke's uniform, "Go _that way_."

When his master was slow to respond, Naruto gave him a solid kick to the ribs, just like one might do to urge a hesitating horse, and leaned in the direction he wanted to go. The man gave a delayed cry of pain, but soon obliged, and they moved closer and closer to their target.

"Stop!" Naruto shouted at last. With a bit of effort he pried his ankles from his drunken teacher's huge mitts and swung down from his shoulders, kicking Jiraiya in the shins for good measure. "What the hell's wrong with you, you psychopath?!?" the boy cried.

However, when his master blinked confusedly at him and flashed a wide grin, full of teeth, Naruto realized it was no use trying to get through to him in such a state. Instead the boy rolled his eyes and muttered a quick profanity before steering his master back into the crowd of revelers and letting him loose. After all, this was about the only time of year that Jiraiya could get away with making such an utter ass out of himself in public, so why not let him enjoy it?

As for Naruto, he was simply grateful to have a chance at winning the contest this year, even if his mentor was a bit too inebriated to appreciate the awards ceremony. The apprentice clock smith turned then to the uniform clad figure, which currently stood stock still at his side, as though frozen. There was no doubt that it was the same doll, but this time he seemed to have stopped mid step, which was quite odd. Maybe his gears had run down while he was walking.

The blonde boy scratched at the nape of his neck and cocked his head to the side before quickly glancing around to see whether anybody else had noticed the curious display. Luckily, they were standing sort of off to the side and everybody seemed to be having too good of a time to notice a lone stationary figure. Naruto sighed slightly in relief at that, glad that nobody had carried the arrogant young man off or anything of the like while he was in this vulnerable state.

"Even though it would serve you right!" he hissed quietly, leaning in close, "I know I'm probably going to really regret this in a few minutes."

And with that he softly sang the tune that he had memorized into the unmoving doll's ear. Naruto stood back and tried to form somewhat of a visual blockade with his own body, lest any passer-by take note of the bizarre situation. However, it was really no use, as they were still out in the open. He would have liked to do this someplace more private, but it would have looked even more strange if he were to be seen dragging Sasuke's lifeless body off into an alleyway.

Shaking his head in defeat, Naruto finally stood back a little and waited for the young noble to awaken. There was no discernable change at first. Then again he hadn't been present the first time that Sasuke had woken up, so there was no way that he could be sure if it was working or not. But as he looked on frowningly, the color gradually seeped back into the dark haired boy's face. It was subtle at first, the darkening of his complexion from a pallid, snowy color to a slightly more lively tone, and the slow creaking sounds that came from his chest as it began to gently expand and contract with the boy's breath.

Naruto merely stared, fascinated at the impossible transformation.

"Wh…what are you…staring at?" the dark haired boy demanded softly, as though catching his breath after a long run. Just then his eyes flashed over to stare the young apprentice down, two vivid orbs so cloudy that they seemed cut right from the overcast sky above. Very carefully, Sasuke raised a hand to cover his chest, eyes narrowing in distinct discomfort, "It feels strange. My heart…what did you do to me?"

"What did _I_ do?" the boy in question growled back defensively, "Here I am trying to help you, and you're already making up accusations. Did you forget? _You threw me into a wall!_"

The young lord gave a nasty sneer before straightening to grab hold of the other's shoulder. "Obviously I didn't do it hard enough," he hissed, pulling Naruto toward himself with a fierce grip, "I told you I won't have that kind of insubordination from the likes of you. Whatever you did, you're soon going to regret it."

Not one to be pushed around, the blonde pried himself away with effort and returned the antagonizing young man's stare with an equally heated one, saying, "Look, I don't have time for this! You're safe. Great. If you're done being a complete ingrate, I need to be going now so I can present my fox. You coming or not?"

The other pinned him with a contemplative glare for a moment before his form suddenly quivered violently. Quickly, Naruto moved to steady him, as the shaking young man pitched forward all at once.

"Hey!" he cried, grasping Sasuke's elbows tightly, "What's wrong with you?!?"

There was naught but malice in the other boy's tone as he snarled derisively, "This is your doing you– Ahh!" Sasuke's face knotted into an expression of acute agony, and he leaned forward so far that his head rested on Naruto's shoulder.

"You're freezing," the blonde murmured in slight surprise, as he carefully supported his would-be tormentor's weight, "If you'd quit acting like such an ass and ask for help _politely _when you really need it… here." So saying the blonde dragged the other boy into an awkward sort of embrace, steadying him with one arm as he carefully removed his own coat with the other. He had more than a little bit of difficulty trying to throw the weighty garment over Sasuke's shoulders, but managed to do so without letting go of the boy.

That done, he could only hold his position, keeping the trembling youth upright with his own upper body and rubbing Sasuke's forearms vigorously until the shaking stopped. In a few minutes he felt the quaking subside, and the noble's labored breathing began to regulate itself into something resembling a steady rate.

"I can stand on my own now," the haughty youth said quietly when he had caught his breath.

"…Thank you," he added grudgingly, as he pulled away from Naruto's steadying hold to stand on his own two slightly wavering legs, "I suppose I'll let you participate in your contest, or whatever it is you've been going on about."

In response the other boy only grimaced, repressing the urge to punch the dark haired one as he reminded himself that Sasuke was still looking a little unsteady. Instead he tugged roughly on the sleeve of his coat, motioning for the young lord to stay close as Naruto headed off toward the stage area.

Sasuke was unexpectedly docile as they made their way to the judging area, which had Naruto a little nervous. He was more than positive that when they got home the other boy would continue to make his life miserable, picking right up from where he had left off that afternoon. The apprentice clock smith shuddered slightly at that thought. He most certainly would _not_ stand to be treated like anyone's servant, regardless of how much the other boy might have helped him out with his project. At any rate, he figured that they were about even now, though he did wonder what it was that had incapacitated Sasuke so suddenly.

"Was that _yours_?" Sasuke smirked suddenly, narrowing his eyes as they proceeded into a small building near a group of vending stalls, "The fox I mean."

A short nod and affirmative noise was the blone's slightly distracted response.

"Surprising. I wouldn't have expected such craftsmanship out of a dullard like you."

Naruto merely glanced back at him, cocking his head to the side with a peculiar sort of half-grin tugging his mouth. Was he being…complimented? He quickly turned away as he felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment. He wasn't normally very bashful, but he hadn't been expecting the other boy to say something positive about his work.

"Though the gear work _was_ rather lacking before I toyed with it last night."

Naruto whirled around again at that comment, grasping Sasuke's forearms lightly.

"So you did fix it!" he exclaimed, "Actually…I couldn't really get it to work properly. So I guess we're even."

"That?" the dark haired one said superiorly, "That was a trifle, especially with the plans near finished and laid out right before me. Are you saying you couldn't even complete it on your own?"

Naruto's silence and the redness of his cheeks said it all. He would have liked to disagree, but the fact was, he had been completely stumped.

"You really are a simpleton, you know that?" Sasuke said thoughtfully, more to himself than to the blonde, "Hn. But you _did_ help me out back there, didn't you. I suppose you have your uses after all, don't you."

"Would you just shut up already? You're still wearing my coat you know," Naruto snapped, turning his back on the other boy at last. He hadn't missed the slight trembling of Sasuke's shoulders as the other boy mocked him, and was rather sure that the dark haired youth meant to draw attention away from his rather tenuous state with his acrid comments. The blonde smirked bitterly to himself as he realized that Sasuke was at least a little bit more vulnerable than he might have expected. At last the blonde was beginning to feel as though he might be on even footing with the young lord. Still, the memory of the dark haired boy's daunting strength inclined Naruto to keep his distance, for he dearly wished not to be thrown into any more walls.

"So I guess I'm gonna have to share my prize with you, huh?" the blonde boy said suddenly, causing the other to blink.

"What prize would that be?" Sasuke inquired, "Are you referring to this little pageant?"

Naruto gazed at him in surprise; everybody knew about the clockwork pageant. As far as he knew it was the greatest exhibition of clockwork creations in the world.

"You're saying you don't know?"

"Hah, don't insult me," the arrogant youth laughed dismissively, "I've no use for such frivolities. I have other things I must do. And so do _you_ now that you're my servant."

To his haughty statements, the blonde could only stare on in disbelief. Not only was the young aristocrat utterly callous, but he was also surprisingly ignorant about the machine making world for someone so skilled.

"Also, though you might have redeemed yourself today, take care not to incite my wrath again," Sasuke added archly, "I'd have no problem crushing you."

"What's your problem?" Naruto sighed at last, "You're so good at this stuff, and yet you act like it's nothing. Don't you have any idea how many people'd _kill_ to be able to do what you do?"

"_Like me for example…"_ the blonde thought a little bitterly.

"You think I care? Skill in the mechanical arts is something required of all members of my clan," the other boy assured, "Just because I have some talent in it doesn't mean that these types of things are any of my concern. It's you who has been mislead; Clockwork isn't just some pastime to toy around with for entertainment. These skills are meant to be used in crafting instruments for war."

"W…what?" the other boy noised, earnestly taken aback, "No way! Why?"

To his dumbfounded expression, Sasuke only sighed softly, then stalked toward him with a predator's grace, seemingly recovered. Fearing another attack, the apprentice felt the urge to back away instinctually, but willed himself steadfastly to stand his ground. When Sasuke was a hair's breadth away, he surprisingly shrugged the young clockmaker's coat from his shoulders, no longer showing any signs of shaking. Naruto blinked as the other boy slid the coat around his shoulders in a manner that was all together too mild. That done, the dark haired young lord took the unmoving boy's chin into his hand, forcing Naruto to meet his eyes.

"That," he declared quietly, his expression flat, "Is why _I_ am the master, and _you_ are the servant."

* * *

"This is certainly a very out of the way place to hold a clockwork pageant," mused the shrouded figure to his companion as they strode up to the eroded threshold of the empty old workshop. There was a small notice posted to the wooden doorpost to his left, which he snatched up. Bringing it up to his line of sight, he gave a small hiss of satisfaction at the information printed there. 

"Is this the correct location?" Inquired the second figure, pausing to push his thick spectacles up on his nose a little bit.

"Yes, your reconnaissance seems to have proven correct this time," the man answered in low tones, chuckling slightly, "And now, let us see what kinds of toys our esteemed rival has left for us to play with."

* * *

**Author talk:**

Don't even say it! I know, this chapter is sooo late. Nobody ever expected it to be released right? Well, there it is. I'm not saying that I resent it or anything, but people nagged me so much about this chapter that I decided to be ambitious and release it today (St. Valentine's Day!). Sorry that there's not much romance for you to nibble on yet... Though it could be argued that Sasuke is kind of trying to sex up poor Naruto near the end there! Heheh. X3 The good stuff is a little down the road yet, so don't get too excited.

Oh yes, and I think a few people are a little hung up/confused over whether this is "sasunaru" or "narusasu". I can't really help with that, except to say that it's a "give and take" relationship (or a "you give and I take" relationship...), so the roles aren't clear cut. If that kind of bugs you, just try and stick it out, okay?

Hope everyone has a pleasant V-day!

-- hachico, February 2007


	4. Three O'Clock

**Clockwork.**

By: hachico

**Disclaimer:** "Naruto" and all characters derived from said series are the creation and thereby intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto. No profits are being made from the creation of this work of fan-made fiction.

* * *

**Three O'Clock**

A lantern flared to life in the darkness, casting partial light on a number of hulking, shrouded figures, row upon row of empty shelves, and several discarded tools as the two cloaked figures made their way deeper into the huge abandoned workshop. Among these huge silhouettes only one stood uncovered – a large mechanical fox with many tails, a ferocious toothy grin plastered across its playfully sinister black lips. It was rather impressive even partially obscured in the dark. Shaking his head lightly at the spectacle, the second visitor moved on to where his companion stood, tugging at a door which he probably wouldn't have even noticed if the other man hadn't pointed it out first.

The bespectacled man coughed fitfully as ahead of him his master suddenly cracked open the stubborn wooden door, stirring up thick clouds of dust from the ground in the process. His eyes narrowed in suspicion when he realized that the door itself was relatively dust free compared to the numerous disused artifacts that they had passed up until then.

"Orochimaru-sama," he called, and was immediately greeted with a soft affirmative sound from the one in front of him.

"Yes, Kabuto," the other man voiced up ahead, confirming his thoughts, "It seems others have already been here."

"So this means_ they_ are probably in town for the competition as well," his companion deduced immediately, peering around at their surroundings, "We should be cautious."

Once they stepped through, they seemed to be in a study or atelier of some sort, as the room was much smaller than the wide warehouse that they had just passed through, and was populated by several shelves worth of books. Judging by the empty gaps on the shelves, which had been vacant long enough for several years worth of dust to pile on, many of these books had been removed a long time ago.

"It also means that we were right to seek out this place," Orochimaru informed his assistant, reaching to retrieve a tattered tome that had been left face up upon the room's single, large wooden desk. There were some tools there too, which substantiated the fact that the original owner had used this area as a workspace. Carefully, Kabuto poked around at some of the objects that were in plain view. They were simple clock maker's tools really, nothing like the kind of equipment he would have expected from somebody whom Orochimaru deigned to call "rival". And on the edge of the desk sat a small mechanical toad, a windup toy with a rusty brass key jutting unobtrusively out from its back. He lifted up the trinket and inspected it with a small frown as he waited for his master to seek out what he wanted.

Kabuto turned sharply as he discerned a soft rustle from somewhere off to his left. When he peered through the dim lamplight, he realized that the door through which they had entered was slightly more ajar than he remembered. Catching his gaze, Orochimaru smirked slightly and nodded in indication that he should investigate.

Without a word the light haired young man slipped out the way they had entered and back into the larger workshop area, shifting his eyes about cautiously. However, there was no sign that anybody else had been there with them. Frown twisting into a soft sneer, Kabuto turned on his heel to rejoin the other man. When he did, he startled suddenly as Orochimaru gave a loud cackle.

"Hahaha! Oh this is perfect," the amber-eyed machinist laughed, still flipping lightly through the large notebook that he held, "Absolutely perfect."

"I take it you've found what you were looking for then?" Kabuto could not repress a smile as he watched the snake-like man's face light up with a dark sort of glee.

"More than you can imagine. It looks like our friend has left behind a little gift for us." the man replied, absently licking at the corners of his finely painted mouth, "As I predicted. The one who can grant my wish should be right here in Konoha, Kabuto. The rumors seem to be true."

"So where do we find this so called "gift"?"

"Simple," Orochimaru said, shutting the old notebook sharply. A devious glint had risen to his sharp eyes, and he produced a tattered set of blueprints that looked to have been folded up inside the notebook. They showed a diagram and calculations for the construction of a suspiciously familiar vulpine figure.

"We follow the fox."

* * *

It was not long before the other contestants started pouring into the secluded waiting area, and when they did, Sasuke could tell right away that they were all just as serious as Naruto about the competition. In addition he realized that most of the entrants were a good deal older than the blonde boy, which he supposed wasn't all that surprising at all. It took most ordinary people _years_ to master the art of crafting functional clockwork, let alone anything that could rival the complexity of what his clan was capable of. For that reason, he had a hard time believing that Naruto was as ignorant and naïve about the true purpose of machinery as he let on. He couldn't be any older than the young Uchiha himself, and yet he commanded a considerable knowledge and mastery of clockwork from what Sasuke had seen so far. It seemed unfathomable that anyone as skilled as the blonde boy could be so… 

"Stupid," he growled as he watched the other boy engage in a bragging contest with another participant not too far away. He was about ready to go over and remind the fool that he would not tolerate unnecessarily idiotic behavior from a servant, when something else caught his eye.

Standing in a secluded corner of the waiting room was another boy, who also looked to be around his own age, or perhaps younger. He stood out because unlike many of the others he seemed to be keeping to himself, not going out of his way to talk to or make eye contact with anyone else. His clothes appeared rather foreign – they were heavily layered and seemed unsuitable to the cold weather. The boy did not resemble any of the people Sasuke had observed at the festival. For one thing his hair was a vivid burgundy color, unlike any he had seen thus far in his travels. He also had green eyes, a more bluish celadon shade rather than the soft hazel color that he had seen from time to time, or even the deep emerald of that pink haired girl's irises. However, they seemed to be ringed severely, almost as though outlined in kohl.

He must have come a very long way, which made it a bit odd that he chose not to engage any of the other people there. Surely it would be a good chance for any foreign clock smith to learn a bit more about the local machinery, as techniques tended to vary greatly from place to place. The oddness of the boy's lack of interaction, as well as his grim expression made Sasuke distinctly uneasy, perhaps even a bit annoyed. As he cast suspicious eyes on the other youth, the noble suddenly jumped when out of nowhere a hand was slapped firmly upon his back.

"Why don't you go say 'hi' or something, if you're so interested?" Naruto inquired from beside him, half joking judging by the smart-mouthed little smirk that illuminated his expression.

Sasuke glared acridly back at him, trying to hide the fact that he had truly been startled by the sudden physical contact.

"Are you done with you pissing contest?" he asked bitterly, wrenching away from his now smiling companion, "I thought you were here to prove you're the best? All you've proven so far is that you're a colossal idiot."

"I was having fun!" the blonde boy asserted defensively, poking his detractor roughly in the ribs for emphasis, "Anyway, _you're_ the one who needs to get a grip on life. Don't you realize you're freaking everybody out? You're just as bad as that guy over there."

So saying he jerked his head in the direction of the red head that Sasuke had been keeping tabs on thus far. However, to Sasuke's apprehension, he found that the boy was no longer there. He must have figured out that he was being watched and slipped away when Sasuke had been distracted by Naruto's pestering. The dark haired boy grit his teeth a little and glared daggers at the blonde for having distracted him.

"Why don't you try talking to some people?" Naruto suggested obliviously, "You know, like a normal _human being_? Maybe you'll learn something."

Fed up with trying to understand the other boy's insistence on him engaging the other clock smiths, the young Uchiha rolled his eyes, and instead decided that perhaps it would be a good time to pick Naruto's brains a little bit more about how he had come to inherit Kakashi's position. He mostly wanted to know when his trusted servant would be back so that he could lose the exasperating blonde. But even more, he couldn't deny that he had a growing desire to find out why Kakashi had chosen him in particular to fill the role. Not to mention how Naruto had come to possess such…considerable skill in their trade.

"Naruto," he began abruptly, earning a soft "hmm?" from the other boy.

"When you said that Kakashi left me with you…did he mention where he was headed?" the boy asked, using the most civil tone he could muster.

The tone that he used carried an unspoken question as well: 'When is he coming _back_?'

"Um…no, not really," Naruto admitted slowly, realizing that their conversation might suddenly be headed into dangerous territory. He himself had wondered a few times that day just where Kakashi had disappeared to. Surely he didn't mean to leave Naruto with the burdensome young prince indefinitely? He wasn't that cruel was he?

'_Then again, if I had to put up with this guy 24-7, I'd probably be itching to dump him off on the first schmuck that came along too,'_ the blonde haired youth thought to himself, grimacing a little at his own naivety.

"I mean, I guess he went off to find you a cure, don't you think?" the young clock smith hazarded cautiously. It wasn't until he saw the sudden change in Sasuke's expression that he came to regret his words. Maybe the whole "doll" thing wasn't the best subject to touch on just yet. Especially since the arrogant young noble didn't seem to be fully aware yets of his strange condition.

At that thought Naruto felt a bit irritated. It seemed unbelievable that Sasuke could be so intelligent and yet so ignorant at the same time. He almost rolled his eyes at the thought before reminding himself that this was a serious matter that required his full attention. But still…

'_Stupid Sasuke,'_ he thought, unable to withhold his scowl.

"Did he mention what kind of cure exactly?" the dark haired boy asked, gauging his words carefully. When Naruto merely shook his head, Sasuke decided that perhaps he had better explain properly if he was ever going to get some answers. Naruto didn't seem like the type to draw inferences very easily after all.

"I'm sure Kakashi has mentioned to you that I have a certain illness," he explained, his voice becoming noticeably quieter, bordering on a whisper as he leaned in a little too closely for Naruto's comfort. His warm breath ghosted across the blonde's whiskers tickling his face as he explained, "It's plagued me since childhood to be honest. But I've never found it to be any particular burden before," Sasuke admitted.

"That is until the night that Kakashi brought me here. It's true that feel unwell from time to time, but on that particular night it was very serious…I even lost consciousness. The next thing I knew, I was awakening on the floor of your little toy shop."

Naruto growled a little bit at the last comment, but still managed to hold his tongue until the other boy was finished. He was actually finding a sort of morbid interest in Sasuke's story now, both dreading and anticipating the moment when the other boy realized what was really happening to him.

"I find it strange enough that Kakashi would leave me in an unfamiliar place like this. But before… you called me 'doll'. Then when you sang that song something strange happened to my body," he grimaced a little bit in memory of just what had happened to him back then, "It defies reason, much like my vassal's disappearance. It's all too strange.

"That's why I'm asking you…Naruto," he said, hesitating as he finally called the other boy by his proper name, "What the hell is going on? What do _you_ know about all this? What is…_happening_ to me? I demand some answers."

Naruto frowned deeply at the other boy as for one unguarded moment Sasuke's expression took on a look of true confusion, even fear. Genuinely at a loss, all he could do was shake his head helplessly. Should he say anything about the story Kakashi had told him the night before? And even if he did, would Sasuke believe him? How would he react if he did believe it?

All of a sudden Naruto realized just what kind of pressure Kakashi had asked him to undertake when he had left Sasuke at the shop so cryptically last night. He had said to try and "fix" him, if he could. But as far as Naruto could see, fixing Sasuke would take a lot more than some tools and a little elbow grease. He was pretty sure by now that whatever was plaguing the boy was more than a mere clockwork heart. It had to be an enchantment of some sort, and he definitely wasn't qualified to handle those!

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for the struggling blonde it was right at that moment that a loud voice broke through the steady buzz of chatter in the small waiting area.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" called a smallish, mousy haired man with half-moon glasses that sat on the very tip of his nose. He carried a long sheet of paper from which he seemed to be calling names for the competition, and wore a very official looking golden badge pinned to his chest. It must have been one of the contest officials, the blonde realized suddenly.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" he cried again, raising his voice so that he could be heard above the din of the crowd.

"Yes! " Naruto shouted right away, raising his hand, "That's me! I'm over here!"

"Where? Ahh, yes. Master Jiraiya's pupil, correct?" the man affirmed, peering over the frames of his rather thick little spectacles for a clear view of the boy in question. He frowned disapprovingly at the assembled contestants as a fair amount of surprised noises and barely hushed murmurs circulated at the mention of the well-known master clock smith's name. The small but stately seeming man cleared his throat loudly to call for silence.

"You are up first, my boy. You are to exit and wait on stage until your machinery arrives," he stated a little pompously, "Please prepare yourself, as your entry is in the process of being brought in from the holding facility and will arrive shortly."

"Yes sir!" Naruto confirmed with a sharp little nod. Sasuke noted that his hands seemed to be trembling slightly, but whether it was from general nervousness or excitement about the contest the raven haired youth could not be sure.

What he did know was that as Naruto turned to regard him with apologetic blue eyes, he caught sight of the solitary red haired boy from the corner again, standing against the far wall behind the blonde. He shifted his eyes toward the blue-eyed clocksmith, his green irises alight with considerable interest. Sasuke frowned and found himself immediately shooting a warning glare toward the boy in question as he accepted Naruto's hasty apology.

"Sorry Sasuke," the excited boy was saying earnestly, "Can we talk about this later?"

"Do as you please," he conceded with a slight huff, "For now."

When the other boy shot him a genuinely grateful smile and whirled to follow the waiting official outside, the young noble felt first a tinge of warmth, then a strange chill run through him. Unbidden a sense of foreboding washed over Sasuke, causing him to shudder involuntarily, and as he watched Naruto's increasingly familiar blonde mane disappear out into the cold, he couldn't help the words that suddenly slipped past his lips unwarranted.

"Be careful."

----------

Stepping out onto the frigid festival ground, the blonde boy realized that it was much colder out than he remembered. No wonder Sasuke had fallen ill so suddenly. He couldn't imagine being out right now without a coat!

"Be careful," he echoed softly.

Naruto shuddered as the dark haired boy's parting words reverberated through his memory. He blinked a few times to clear the flurries from his eyelashes before he caught sight of the pompous little official waving him over from the judging area.

_Be careful?_ Why would he say something like that? Shouldn't it be something more like "Good luck", or "Break a leg", or even "Don't trip"?

'_What's wrong with that bastard? Is he trying to make me paranoid?!'_ Naruto fumed internally as he took the stage.

There was already a substantial crowd gathered below the extremely wide, raised platform, and he could see steam curling up from several hot drinks clutched protectively in spectators' hands. Seeing them, Naruto couldn't help but feel amazed at the idea that so many had turned out in this cold weather mainly to watch the contest. In his mind it was a testament to the marvel of clockwork that people were so enthralled with it as to come from far and wise to see the best that clockwork had to offer. He was suddenly glad that he had worked as hard as he could on his fox. And a small part of him was even more relieved that he'd had somebody as skilled as the young prince, regardless of how annoying he was, to help him perfect it. Now he could show everyone, especially the friends who had supported him in his endeavors, just how awesome clockwork could be.

With that thought the clockmaker boy's blue eyes widened in sudden awareness.

"Sakura-chan!!" he gasped, startling the man in front of him.

"What was that?" the official inquired, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Oh, nothing!" he denied right away, though inside he felt very sheepish. He had forgotten all about Sakura-chan! How would she know that Sasuke was safe and sound? For all Naruto knew, she could still be searching around in the cold by herself. He frowned deeply as he contemplated his situation. If she had a bad time tonight it would most definitely be his fault. First allowing a friend to be exposed to that asshole of a prince, and then failing to inform her that said asshole had been found. He almost hung his head in dejection, but gazing out at the crowd he remembered that he had to maintain his composure until his entry arrived and his showing was over.

That's when an idea hit him. The crowd and most of the fair grounds were all easily visible from his current stance…so why not ham it up and take advantage of his current vantage point at the same time?

Suddenly the blonde infused his features with pride that wasn't entirely feigned and grinned out at the assembled spectators. Among the crowd he recognized many folks whom he saw on an almost daily basis in his little town, and made sure to wave to each and every one. He was rewarded with many knowing smiles, waves, and even cheers of encouragement, but not with the visage that he most hoped to encounter. He strained his ears for anything that might cue him as to his friend's location, but to no avail. Off to the side, along the edge of the stage there was a large band assembled, which had been performing assorted festive pieces and local tunes throughout the festival. It was meant to be a pleasant background to the festivities, but right now he found it mildly distracting as he scanned the crowd for signs of his friend.

'_Sakura-chan…where are you?'_ he wondered, struggling to keep the lines of worry from showing in his face, _'Please don't tell me she left the fair grounds...'_

Just then Naruto caught sight of something a little bit unsettling. As he peered out along the rows, hoping that perhaps he might spot the familiar head of pink among the spectators, he noticed two hooded figures. He paused not because of their strange attire however, but because of the strange feeling of intensity he felt from one of the two. And as Naruto stared on, he could have sworn he caught a flash of red from beneath one of those hoods.

He squinted just a little and was rewarded with the briefest glimpse of familiar raven colored hair against pale skin and the barest hint of a stern countenance. Naruto blinked.

'No way!'

But when he looked again, the two figures had disappeared as though they had never been there to begin with. The blonde boy swallowed deeply and returned to scanning the crowd. That couldn't have been right. He must have been psyching himself out by thinking about that stupid noble and how much disruption he had caused already.

And yet…

'_Be careful.'_ Those words would not leave him, and with them Naruto felt his sense of urgency increase. He needed to find Sakura, and soon.

----------

Unbeknownst to the two shrouded figures that finally emerged from the large abandoned building, a third form watched them intently. Tightening his scarf about his neck and face, the man descended from his observatory perch above the door of the warehouse with the swiftness and stealth of a large bird of prey and took off after them, curious as to their goal. Rounding a corner, he narrowly avoided a large group of carts dawn by several men, presumably headed to collect the huge pieces of machinery that had been stored in the warehouse.

Kakashi frowned distastefully under his muffler as he pondered just what those two devious machinists could be up to in a place like Konoha. He had been scouring the nearest town for information when he had come across the two of them early that morning, and since then had trailed them directly back to his hometown. Fearing that their inquiries might somehow lead them to his young master, the silver haired man had put off his information-gathering search in favor of keeping an eye on Kabuto and his master, Orochimaru. However, thus far the pair had made no move that indicated any desire to find Sasuke again. It had been a surprise to find that the two had headed for the warehouse straight away upon reaching the town, but that did nothing to assuage his suspicions, for he knew well of the snake-man's treachery. Even if their target was not the young prince this time, they could be up to something much more dangerous. It would not do to let them run around unattended.

He slowed up as his targets suddenly rounded a corner, bringing them behind a large and inconspicuous looking building, a stable by the look and smell of it. Kakashi strained his ears, listening until he heard their footsteps echo far down the empty street, indicating that it was safe for him to follow again.

No sooner had he entered the alleyway than his ears were accosted with a low and subersive masculine tone.

"Ah, how pleasant that we should meet again so soon," came a familiar silky hiss from behind.

"So, you've been expecting me all along?" Kakashi replied just as smoothly, not bothering to turn around. He would rather the amber-eyed man not see how his face was tightened, even ever so slightly, in thinly suppressed anger.

"Oh don't worry. I'm not after _you_ today, Kakashi," the man assured him suggestively, "It seems you are as skillful as ever at _slipping out of harm's way_ however. Luckily for you and your little prince, I have more important matters to attend to for now."

"Then what do you want in Konoha?" he inquired sharply, "There is little to interest a man of your tastes in this place."

"So rude," Orochimaru chided, sadistic amustement evident in his tone, "Even though I've deigned to stop in and provide you with some helpful information..."

Kakashi gave the slightest noise of disbelief, and stood a little bit straighter as though to remind Orochimaru that physically he would always have the advantage.

"You are still searching for the other Uchiha heir are you not?" the snake-man inquired unexpectedly, actually managing to take him by surprise, "If so, you might do well to attend this year's festival. I hear the competition is quite…_formidable_, this year."

"Festival? What could he possibly want with—" but as Kakashi finally turned to face the source of his anger and confusion, he found that the other man had already disappeared again.

The silver haired vassal uttered a soft, but very sincere curse as he left the alley himself and returned to the main street, glimpsing around briefly for further signs of the enemy. Was Orochimaru telling the truth? If so the entire town could be in severe danger. However, he had no idea why said danger would make its way to such a sleepy little town. What he _did_ know was that if he was going to prevent the people of Konoha from ending up like the Uchiha, he was going to need some assistance.

With that thought in mind, he turned his steps toward the fair grounds.

----------

"Hey, Sakura!!" The kitchen girl turned sharply as she heard her name called out across the snowy fairgrounds, her eyes bright with expectation. Her smile faltered however, when she realized it was not who she thought it was.

"Over here! Oi! What are you looking like that for?!" the boy who had issued the call demanded brusquely, swiftly making his way toward her through the crowd when he realized that she had seen him, "You disappointed to see us or something?"

Before her stood a slightly ruddy faced young man of about her same age, with dark brown hair and sharp, almost feral seeming brown eyes that peeked out from under the fur trimmed hood of his heavy leather coat. Just a short way behind him stood two girls, one with dark hair cut short so that it hung about her ears, and the other sporting two neat, chocolate brown knots that sat on opposite sides of her head. The two were accompanied by a slightly scruffy looking canine with a faintly reddish hue.

"Oh, sorry Kiba," she said apologetically, a small frown still threatening the corners of her mouth, "TenTen! Hinata! You guys came to see the contest too?"

"Of course!" TenTen assured her, leering slightly in her darker haired companion's direction, "You know Hinata wouldn't want to miss _Naruto-kun_'s big day."

"T-T.._TenTen!_" Hinata cried in surprise, her cheeks flaring to a healthy pink that was highly visible considering her normally pale skin tone. "You ...you know I a-a-almost always come to see the p-pageant!"

Kiba merely rolled his eyes at the display and stuck out his tongue distastefully.

"No idea what you'd see in that boor. All he wants to do is mess around with his stupid machinery all day," the boy said, scrunching his nose up slightly as though offended by the very thought, "What kind of doofus spends his days stuck indoors playing with stupid metal toys?"

"B-but you were the one who.. who came and asked us to go with you to the contest first, w-weren't you Kiba?" Hinata reminded him pointedly.

"That's because there're all kinds of good food stands out!!" he barked indignantly, cheeks flushing a little bit, "I'm not interested in that stupid clockwork stuff!"

At this his furry companion gave a sharp yip as though to voice his own opinion, which Kiba did not seem to appreciate.

"Akamaru, not you too!?" he griped, smacking his own forehead dramatically, "What does everybody see in that guy?"

Laughing softly, Sakura merely shook her head, already cheered by her friends' antics. She had been increasingly worried about Naruto when she found signs of neither him nor Sasuke among the crowd, and had been beginning to give up hope. Now, however, she was reminded that Naruto had plenty of other friends at the fair. One of them had probably run into him at the festival and would be able to tell her of his whereabouts if she asked.

Expression lightening up a little, Sakura turned to TenTen in question. "Are Shikamaru and the others out here too then?" the pink haired girl asked.

"Mm-hm!" the older girl told her with a sharp nod, "Kiba came and picked me and Hinata up at the shop, and then we were supposed to meet up with everyone else over at the stables a little while ago. But then Hinata saw you wandering around by yourself so we took a detour to come get you."

"Yeah, we were late anyway because that asshole Neji had to go off by himself without telling anybody," Kiba growled immediately in explanation, "We spent twenty minutes waiting on his ass! Then the old lady from next door comes out and tells us she saw him heading over to the fairgrounds like thirty minutes ago! Ain't that about a bitch?"

"K-Kiba..." Hinata said in a conciliatory tone, "Maybe Neji j-just didn't get the message this morning. I'm sure he wouldn't do that on purpose."

"Whatever!" the boy snarled, tossing up his hands, "You know I hate that guy anyway!"

With a barely suppressed smile Sakura raised her hands in a placating manner. "Well in any case," she told them, "I was just wondering if any of you had seen Naruto around?"

"Naruto?" TenTen echoed inquisitively, "Nope. I would've thought he'd be hanging out with _you_ since you're here Sakura, or at least he'd probably be off ogling all the foreign machinery. What are you doing at the festival anyway? Anko let you have the night off too?"

The pink haired girl shook her head sharply. "No, just a few free hours," she told her friend and co-worker, "What about you? I know you and Ino are getting the night off but…aren't you tired from yesterday?"

"Yeah!" TenTen beamed back, "But after all the work we put in the past couple of nights, it would be a shame not to have some fun at the pageant don't you think? It's only once a year!"

She smiled back at the pleased young woman, knowing very well that what TenTen had said was true -- she and Ino had done more of their fair share of work entertaining customers over the past few days, meaning that their break was much deserved. Knowing this, she almost felt sorry for asking them to help her seek out her missing friend, as well as the young noble whom she had recently lost.

"Sorry to bug you guys like this," Sakura began, deciding that plunging right ahead before she lost her nerve might be the best course of action," But I'm loo--"

"Yo," came another masculine voice from behind, interrupting Sakura's request, "What are you guys doing way over here?"

When she turned to face the source of the new voice, Sakura's eyes fell upon yet another familiar figure -- Nara Shikamaru, the town apothecary's son.

"Hey, Sakura. Didn't know you'd be here," he greeted in passing, "You guys coming or what? The judging is about to start. Naruto's up first!" insisted the uncharacteristically impatient seeming young man, agitatedly adjusting his heavy winter jacket so that the fur lined hood fit snug around his face. He was jumping from foot to foot in the cold, and the whine in his tone demonstrated that viewing the pageant wasn't the only reason that Shikamaru was interested in quickly joining the large gathering of people that had already assembled around the stage – it would be nice to be surrounded by the warmth of the crowd.

"Where's everybody else," Kiba asked, glancing back toward the stage.

"Already over there. Sent me out to collect you guys. Damned troublesome-!"Shikamaru started, but was quickly cut off by Sakura's excited inquiry.

"So Naruto's up there already?" she demanded at once, rubbing her hands together to generate some warmth – she too was starting to feel the heavy chill that set in as night descended.

"Eh? Of course," he said with a nod, raising fine dark eyebrows at her, "Hamming it up as usual."

This elicited a soft laugh from Hinata and a rare smile.

"Th-that's so like him," she chuckled fondly, regarding them all with a smile that lit her face pleasantly, "L-let's hurry and go ch-cheer Naruto-kun on!"

And so, following the bashful dark haired girl's lead, the four teens hurried off to see the show.

* * *

Deep grey clouds swirled in the skies above, sending down more flurries of snow as they obscured the last of the setting sun's pale violet rays. Sakura's gaze wandered skyward once or twice as she and her four friends united with the other half of their group in the crowd. As expected, Naruto was already up on stage, flashing wide grins and peace signs wherever he turned in an impressive display of confidence and showmanship. 

She snorted a little derisively at his antics. Same old Naruto.

But what of the young lordling whose presence she had been graced with earlier that afternoon. She had yet to tell her companions of the sudden appearance of the noble youth who claimed to be an acquaintance of Naruto's.

_'Naruto. That _dunce_!' _she thought. Leave it to the clockwork-obsessed blonde to regale her daily with practically everything he knew about machinery, _ad nauseum_, and yet neglect to mention that he had ties to royalty. She could hardly believe that somebody with such noble bearing as Sasuke was in any way related to her admittedly boorish friend.

Not for the first time since she had met Naruto, did Sakura find herself wondering about his origins. She had only known him since he showed up at Anko's inn alongside the man he now called mentor one morning several years ago. At the time Sakura was just beginning her career at the establishment, and being about nine years old she had been relegated, like all beginners, to mopping floors and scrubbing dishes. Nearly seven years had passed since the chance encounter that had led to her and Naruto's friendship, and in that time she had scarcely heard him speak of where he had come from and what he had done before master Jiraiya had brought him to their sleepy town to begin his apprenticeship.

Could it be that Sasuke was someone whom Naruto had met in his early travels? Was it possible that the mysterious young noble was some friend from early childhood who knew things about Naruto that she had failed to glean from their seven years of friendship?

Sakura frowned hard as she realized that as much as she felt she knew Naruto, in reality there was so much she didn't know about her friend -- like where he was born, who his parents were, _why_ he had come to their town all those years ago with little more than the clothes on his back and a strange affinity for clockwork machinery. With this in mind, Sakura directed her gaze up at the stage where Naruto continued to wave and smile. Abruptly, as though sensing her intense train of thought, his gaze landed on her. The blonde boy's eyes widened significantly in what she took as a look of relief, and he made a somewhat frantic gesture with his hands as thought trying to tell her something.

Sakura smiled back widely and waved in turn as she realized what he was probably trying to tell her.

'_Does this mean Naruto's found him?'_ she mused, a bit surprised. She herself had had absolutely no luck in trying to locate either of the two boys in the crowd. But then again, Naruto did have a tiny height advantage over her, and perhaps that had made all the difference. Setting her gaze on her friend again as he returned to his posturing for the crowd, Sakura resolved that as soon as she got the chance she would take some time to ask the clock smith's apprentice some of the pressing questions that populated her mind at the moment, starting with what exactly his relationship was with Sasuke.

A hush fell over the crowd then as a low rumble was heard in the distance. It was the sound of something heavy and wheeled making its way slowly toward the stage. Cutting her eyes over to where the sound had originated from, Sakura saw what looked like a procession of low, heavily laden carts approaching the judging area from the northern part of the fairgrounds. They were drawn by a combination of manpower and a few smallish beasts of burden, appearing to originate from the general direction of the clock tower and the large abandoned warehouse, which were the only places of note on the northern side of town. As the last waning light from the sun was extinguished under the clouds and the oncoming dusk, several torches and other lights flared to life around the square in the near darkness, tossing the entire area into a somewhat whimsical alternate world made up of lamplight and the intricate play of shadows across the familiar structures of their town square.

Sakura's eyes were likewise alight with wonder, taking in the incredible transformation of the town that she had known all her life – it was as though the scene was being set for some fantastic play, to take place before her very eyes in the small town of Konoha that very night. And as a light fog rolled in, accompanied by the mild yet unrelenting falling of the snow, at last the general din of the crowd and the band was drowned out as huge clock tower tolled, deep and slow, announcing the arrival of night and the true beginning of the festivities.

* * *

**Author's note:** Phew. Finally, "Clockwork" gets the update it deserves. Not sure why I took so long to come out with this one -- it's certainly nothing special! Not a whole lot of action going on in these early chapters, for which I apologize. :-( As with many of my fics it takes a while to set the scene and develop the surroundings. It's good and bad I suppose. Still, I got so many lovely reviews despite my total lack of updates!! XD STOP SPOILING ME. (but really, DON'T stop!) 

I also thought I'd take a moment to adress some questions I've gotten so far. So, for those who asked:

-No, the chapter titles (twelve o' clock, one o' clock, etc.) have almost _nothing_ to do with the plot. Any connection is purely coincidental, sorry.

-No, Sasuke hasn't figured out that he's a doll, but he is pretty well freaked out. Seems annoying, but to be fair, I don't think "OMG I'm a living doll" is the first conclusion I'd come to if I were in his position, either...;;;

-Yes, Sasuke's body _does_ work better when it's Naruto that sings the song. Also, he is affected by cold. Kudos to those who noticed.

-Yes, there are more characters waiting in the wings, who will play an important part in how this story unfolds. Hopefully _how_ they fit in will be a surprise.

-As with the actual manga/anime that this story is based on, _all_ of the characters are secretly...overtly... gay. Even the straight ones.

I seem to have gotten lots of questions about Sasuke's condition, etc. What surprised me even more though is that few people asked about Naruto's background in this story -- where he came from, etc. He's obviously got no parents, and he has a _lot_ of aptitude for clockwork, but _why?_ I'll be getting into his origins more some time soon. XD

Until then! -- hachico, September 2007


End file.
